ML  .‘0  /. 


flic  SUcologica/  g 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


'to 


\ 


Purchased  by  the  Hamill  Missionary  Fund. 


Division 


X>3<b59 

.ViS'D 


Section 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/philippineisland00worc_0 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


AND  THEIR  PEOPLE 


■ 


MAYON  VOLCANO,  WITH  A TAC.ALOG  VILLAGE  IN  THE  FOREGROUND  — LUZON 


THE 


PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

AND  THEIR  PEOPLE  * 


A RECORD  OF  PERSONAL  OBSERVATION  AND  EXPERIENCE,  WITH 
A SHORT  SUMMARY  OF  THE  MORE  IMPORTANT  FACTS 
IN  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  ARCHIPELAGO 


BY 

DEAN  C.  WORCESTER 

ASSISTANT  PROFESSOR  OF  ZOOLOGY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  MICHIGAN 


Neto  gorfe 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  & CO.,  Ltd. 

19OI 


All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1898, 

By  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped  October,  1898.  Reprinted  November, 
December,  1898;  January,  February,  September,  1899;  February, 
1901. 


Norfooob  ifresB 

J.  S.  Cushing  & Co.  — Berwick  6c  Smith 
Norwood  Mass.  U.  S.  A- 


PREFACE 


During  the  years  1870-74,  Dr.  J.  B.  Steere  made  an 
extended  trip  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  zoological 
specimens  and  ethnological  material,  and  in  the  course 
of  his  travels  visited  the  Philippine  Islands. 

He  found  the  archipelago  in  an  unsettled  state.  The 
fierce  Moros  of  the  south  interfered  somewhat  with  his 
work,  means  of  communication  between  the  islands  were 
most  unsatisfactory,  and  he  was  hampered  by  ill-health ; 
but  in  spite  of  the  disadvantages  under  which  he  laboured 
he  secured  a considerable  collection  of  birds.  This  col- 
lection was  afterward  submitted  to  the  authorities  at  the 
British  Museum,  and  was  found  to  contain  representa- 
tives of  no  less  than  forty-three  species  which  were  new 
to  science. 

Dr.  Steere’s  results  tempted  others  to  visit  this  little- 
known  field,  but  Mr.  Everett,  an  English  naturalist,  was 
the  only  one  to  make  extensive  collections.  He  also 
discovered  a surprising  number  of  new  birds. 

Believing  that  much  still  remained  to  be  done  in 
working  up  the  birds  and  mammals  of  the  archipelago, 

vii 


PREFACE 


viii 

Dr.  Steere  planned  to  visit  the  Philippines  again  in 
1887-88.  He  offered  to  take  with  him  a limited  num- 
ber of  men,  who  were  to  bear  their  own  expenses,  to 
profit  by  his  previous  experience  and  his  knowledge  of 
the  country,  and  in  turn  to  allow  him  to  work  up  the 
material  collected  by  them. 

An  interest  in  the  study  of  birds,  as  well  as  a desire 
to  aid  in  the  exploration  of  a little-known  country,  led 
three  of  his  former  students  to  join  his  expedition. 

His  party  as  finally  constituted  consisted  of  him- 
self, Mr.  E.  L.  Moseley,  Dr.  Frank  S.  Bourns,  Mateo 
Francisco,  and  the  writer.  Mateo  Francisco  was  a full- 
blooded  Philippine  native  whom  Dr.  Steere  had  brought 
home  with  him  in  1874,  and  who  had  continued  to  live 
in  this  country. 

We  arrived  at  Manila  in  September,  1887,  and  during 
the  next  eleven  months  visited  Palawan,  Mindanao, 
Basilan,  Guimaras,  Panay,  Negros,  Siquijor,  Cebu,  Bo- 
hol, Samar,  Leyte,  Masbate,  Marinduque,  Mindoro,  and 
Luzon,  in  the  order  named. 

The  expedition  was  unofficial.  We  were  regarded 
with  more  or  less  suspicion  by  Spanish  authorities,  and 
on  more  than  one  occasion  were  seriously  interfered 
with  by  them. 

The  close  of  our  trip  found  us  with  health  seriously 
impaired  by  hardship  and  exposure.  Bourns  and  I were 
firmly  convinced  that  we  should  never  again  wish  to 
risk  such  an  undertaking.  But  unpleasant  experiences 


PREFACE 


IX 


became  enjoyable  in  retrospect,  and  as  we  worked  over 
our  material  and  realized  what  had  been  accomplished 
and  what  remained  to  be  done,  the  old  fever  came  back 
on  us. 

A year  after  our  return  we  were  making  vigorous 
efforts  to  find  ways  and  means  for  a second  and  more 
extended  visit  to  the  Philippines.  We  succeeded  in 
interesting  Mr.  Louis  F.  Menage,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
in  our  project,  and  through  his  liberality  our  second  trip 
was  made  possible. 

We  sailed  in  July,  1890,  intending  to  remain  in  the 
islands  two  years.  At  the  close  of  the  second  Mr. 
Menage  gave  us  an  eight  months’  extension  of  time,  my 
companion  going  to  Borneo,  while  I remained  in  the 
Philippines. 

On  our  second  trip  we  received  the  most  courteous 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  Spanish  officials.  Warned 
by  our  previous  experiences,  we  had  applied  through 
the  Department  of  State  to  the  Spanish  Minister  of 
the  Colonies  for  permission  to  carry  on  our  work  un- 
molested. This  gentleman  had  sent  an  order  cover- 
ing our  case  to  Weyler,  the  Governor-General,  and  he 
in  turn  addressed  a strong  order  concerning  us  to  the 
officials  in  all  the  provinces  which  we  visited. 

We  worked  in  Luzon,  Panay,  Guimaras,  Negros, 
Siquijor,  Cebu,  Mindoro,  Mindanao,  Basilan,  Sulu,  Tawi 
Tawi,  Palawan,  Culion,  Busuanga,  Samar,  Romblon, 
Tablas,  Sibuyan,  and  Masbate  during  our  stay,  remain- 


X 


PREFACE 


ing  in  each  island  long  enough  to  get  a fairly  repre- 
sentative collection  of  its  birds  and  mammals. 

Owing  to  the  semi-official  character  of  our  expedition, 
we  had  exceptional  opportunities  for  observation.  We 
were  thrown  among  all  classes,  from  the  highest  Spanish 
officials  to  the  wildest  savages.  For  our  own  satisfac- 
tion we  made  careful  notes  and  numerous  photographs. 

At  that  time  nothing  could  have  seemed  to  us  more 
improbable  than  that  the  information  which  we  were 
gathering  would  ever  be  of  use  to  our  government,  or 
of  interest  to  the  general  public. 

The  rapid  march  of  events  during  the  present  year 
has  brought  changes  which  no  one  could  have  foreseen. 
My  friend  and  former  companion,  Dr.  Bourns,  has  placed 
his  services  at  the  disposal  of  his  country,  and,  on  ac- 
count of  his  special  knowledge  of  the  Philippines,  has 
been  assigned  to  duty  on  the  staff  of  the  commander-in- 
chief of  the  American  forces  operating  there. 

In  view  of  existing  conditions,  it  has  seemed  to  me 
that  our  experiences  might  be  of  sufficient  interest  to 
justify  their  publication,  and  so  the  story  of  our  sojourn 
in  the  islands  has  been  written. 

While  I hope  that  some  of  the  facts  brought  out  may 
serve  to  throw  light  on  the  present  state  of  affairs,  it  is 
certainly  true  that  conditions  as  they  are  to-day  can  be 
properly  understood  only  in  the  light  of  those  of  days 
long  since  gone.  The  place  at  present  occupied  by  the 
Philippines  in  the  world’s  history  is  so  prominent  as 


PREFACE 


xi 


naturally  to  suggest  the  question,  What  place  have  they 
occupied  in  the  past?  It  has  seemed  to  me  fitting,  there- 
fore, to  preface  my  account  of  personal  observation  and 
experience  by  a brief  resume  of  the  more  important 
points  in  the  history  of  the  archipelago,  and  I wish  to 
say  that  I have  drawn  my  historical  facts  chiefly  from 
Mr.  John  Foreman’s  excellent  book,  “ The  Philippine 
Islands.” 

DEAN  C.  WORCESTER. 

University  of  Michigan,  September  i,  1898. 


CONTENTS1 


CHAPTER  I 

PAGE 

The  Philippine  Islands  in  History i 

CHAPTER  II 

Manila .21 

CHAPTER  III 

General  Description  of  the  Archipelago  . . . .57 

CHAPTER  IV 

First  Visit  to  Palawan 76 

CHAPTER  V 

Second  Visit  to  Palawan 94 

CHAPTER  VI 

Balabac,  Cagayan  Sulu,  Mindanao,  and  Basilan  . . .123 

CHAPTER  VII 

Second  Visit  to  Mindanao  — The  Moros  ....  148 

1 For  detailed  references  to  text  see  index, 
xiii 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


SULU  .... 

CHAPTER  VIII 

PAGE 

Tawi  Tawi  . 

CHAPTER  IX 

Panay  and  Guimaras 

CHAPTER  X 

223 

Negros 

CHAPTER  XI 

253 

Siquijor 

CHAPTER  XII 

274 

Cebu  .... 

CHAPTER  XIII 

CHAPTER  XIV 

318 

CHAPTER  XV 

Masbate  and  Marinduque 336 

CHAPTER  XVI 


First  Visit  to  Mindoro  . 


• 362 


CONTENTS 


xv 


CHAPTER  XVII 

PAGE 

Second  and  Third  Visits  to  Mindoro 389 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

Luzon 

• 435 

« 

CHAPTER  XIX 

Romblon,  Tablas,  and  Sibuyan 461 


CULION  AND  BUSUANGA 

CHAPTER  XX 

483 

APPENDIX 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Mayon  Volcano,  with  a Tagalog  Village  in  the  Foreground  — 

Luzon  ........  Frontispiece 

PAGE 

Scene  on  a Manila  Canal,  showing  Cascos  and  Dugouts  . . 27 

Spanish  Mestizas,  showing  Tagalog  Dress  (without  Tapis)  — 

Manila  ..........  34 

A Bit  of  the  Wall  and  Moat  of  Old  Manila.  Entrance  to  Pasig 

River  in  Left  Background  . . . . . . .41 

* Outskirts  of  New  Manila  — from  a Window  in  the  Hotel  de 

Oriente  ..........  53 

Bamboo  Bridge  and  Cocoanut  Grove  — Luzon.  . . .59 

Primitive  Agriculture  — Luzon.  ......  72 

* A Spanish  Birthday  Party — Puerto  Princesa,  Palawan  . . 96 

* Tagbanua  Types — Iwahig  River,  Palawan  ....  99 

* Tagbanua  Mother  and  Children — Palawan  ....  103 

* A Typical  Tagbanua  House  — Palawan  .....  106 

* Tagbanua  Women  and  Girls  — Palawan 109 

* Skin  of  Huge  Python  — Palawan  . . . . . . 115 

* A Group  of  Zamboanguenos — Ayala,  Mindanao  . . .129 

* A Typical  Gobernadorcillo  — Siquijor  .....  134 

* Native  House  of  Cana  and  Nipa  — Mindoro  ....  138 

* Moro  Houses  — Sulu  ........  150 

* Moro  Arms  . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 5 

* Moro  Children  — Sulu  . . . . . . . . 157 

* From  a photograph  by  Dr.  F.  S.  Bourns, 
xvii 


xviii  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

* Mosque  of  Sultan  Harun  — Sulu  ......  159 

* Moros  fencing  with  Straight  Krises — Sulu  . . . .161 

Moro  Chiefs  — Mindanao  . . . . . . .163 

* A Moro  Village  at  Low  Tide  — Sulu.  . . . . .167 

* Fully  Armed  Moros  — Sulu  . 170 

* The  Old  Sultana  of  Sulu,  with  Body-guard  . . . .173 

* The  Rightful  Sultan  of  Sulu,  with  Body-guard  . . . .177 

* The  State  Boat  of  Sultan  Harun 181 

* Scenes  in  Sulu . . . . . . . . . .184 

* Sultan  Harun  . 187 

* Moro  Musical  Instruments,  and  Girl  dancing  — Sulu  . . . 193 

* Moro  Interior,  showing  Women  and  Children  . . . .199 

* Moros  ...........  203 

Mateo  Francisco,  a Typical  Philippino  .....  220 

* A Tuba-gatherer — Salag  Dak6,  Guimaras  ....  226 

* Church,  Convento,  and  Watch-tower  — Dumaguete,  Negros  . 254 

* A Typical  Tribunal  — Dumaguete,  Negros  ....  257 

* A Spanish  Mestiza  — Bais,  Negros  ......  261 

* A Gobernadorcillo  and  his  Wife  — Bais,  Negros  . . . 272 

* Native  Sail-boat,  with  Bamboo  Outriggers  — Mindoro  . . 275 

* Watch-tower  for  Defence  against  the  Moros — Siquijor  . . 283 

* Market-place  and  Entrance  to  Cockpit  — Siquijor  . . -285 

A Philippine  Sawmill.  House  with  “ Concha  ” Windows  in  the 

Background  . . . . . . . . .311 

“ Mapa  de  las  Yslas  Philipinas  ”...  facmg  page  342 

A Typical  Philippine  Scene  — Luzon  .....  360 

* A Group  of  Mangyans,  and  their  House  — Mt.  Halcon,  Mindoro  366 

* Married  Mangyan  Woman,  showing  Typical  Dress  — Mt.  Hal- 

con,  Mindoro  . . . . . . . . *376 

* Unmarried  Mangyan  Girls,  showing  Typical  Dress  — Mt.  Halcon, 

Mindoro  . . . . . . . . . *379 


From  a photograph  by  Dr.  F.  S.  Bourns. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS  xix 

PAGE 

* Typical  Mangyan  Houses  — Adlobang  River,  Mindoro  . . 383 

* Our  Camp  on  the  Baco  River  — Mindoro.  . . . -397 

* Group  of  Mangyans  — Baco  River,  Mindoro  ....  400 

* Our  First  Timarau  — Baco  River,  Mindoro  ....  403 

* Mangyan  Storehouse  for  Grain  — Mt.  Halcon,  Mindoro  . . 409 

* Group  of  Mangyans  — Mt.  Halcon,  Mindoro  . . . .411 

* Group  of  Mangyans,  showing  Effect  of  Contact  with  Civilized 

Natives  — Laguna  de  Naujan,  Mindoro  ....  416 

*A  Crocodile  awaiting  our  Convenience  — Laguna  de  Naujan, 

Mindoro  ..........  423 

* Partially  Civilized  Mangyans  — Subaan  River,  Mindoro  . . 426 

Facsimile  of  a Page  in  an  Anting  Anting 432 

Tagalog  Houses  along  a Canal  near  Manila  . . . *437 

A Typical  River  Scene  — Luzon  ......  443 

* House  of  Mr.  Collins,  our  Headquarters  at  the  Laguna  de  Bay 

— Luzon . . -456 

* The  Old  Stone  Fort  at  Culion  .......  484 

*From  a photograph  by  Dr.  F.  S.  Bourns. 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS  IN  HISTORY 

In  the  year  1519  there  began  a voyage  which  was 
destined  to  prove  of  great  historic  importance.  The 
discovery  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  by  Balboa  had  stimulated 
numerous  adventurers  to  search  for  the  passage  which 
was  believed  to  connect  it  with  the  Atlantic,  but  their 
efforts  had  ended  in  failure,  and  it  was  reserved  for 
Hernando  Maghallanes  to  win  enduring  fame  by  over- 
coming all  obstacles,  and  pushing  on  to  success. 

Maghallanes,  or,  as  we  are  wont  to  call  him,  Magel- 
lan, was  by  birth  a Portuguese  nobleman.  He  bravely 
bore  his  part  in  the  wars  of  his  country  until  he  re- 
ceived a wound  in  the  knee  which  caused  him  to 
become  permanently  lame,  and  forced  him  to  give  up 
active  campaigning.  His  success  had  been  great 
enough  to  arouse  jealousy,  and  his  companions  in 
arms  were  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  his  misfor- 
tune by  circulating  damaging  reports  concerning  him. 
The  king  not  only  gave  ear  to  these  evil  rumours,  but 


2 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


added  to  them  by  accusing  him  of  feigning  an  infirmity 
from  which  he  did  not  in  reality  suffer. 

Stung  by  the  ingratitude  of  his  sovereign,  whom  he 
had  faithfully  served,  Magellan  renounced  forever  his 
rights  as  a Portuguese  subject,  and  become  a naturalized 
Spaniard. 

He  succeeded  in  winning  the  favour  of  King  Charles  I, 
of  Spain,  and  eventually  entered  into  an  agreement 
with  that  monarch  to  undertake  the  discovery  of  new 
spice  islands.  The  king  was  to  provide  and  fit  out 
five  vessels,  and  in  return  was  to  have  a liberal  share 
of  the  profits  of  the  venture. 

On  the  ioth  of  August,  1519,  the  little  fleet  set 
sail,  and  on  the  13th  of  the  following  December  it 
arrived  safely  at  Rio  Janeiro. 

Magellan  now  turned  southward,  determined  to  find 
the  much-sought  passage  to  the  Pacific.  Severe  cold 
was  encountered,  and  mutiny  arose  in  the  fleet.  The 
commander  wished  to  put  into  one  of  the  coast  rivers 
and  pass  the  winter.  Some  of  his  followers  were  will- 
ing to  abide  by  his  decision,  while  others  were  deter- 
mined to  return  home,  and  others  yet  wished  to  separate 
from  the  fleet  and  go  their  own  way.  The  great  dis- 
coverer showed  himself  equal  to  the  emergency.  One 
of  his  rebellious  captains  was  put  ashore  in  irons. 
Another,  who  had  the  presumption  to  attack  Magellan 
on  his  own  ship,  was  executed,  and  discipline  was  thus 
restored. 


IN  HISTORY 


3 


In  the  spring  the  expedition  continued  on  its  south- 
ward course  and  on  the  28th  of  October,  1520, 
discovered  the  straits  which  have  ever  since  borne 
Magellan’s  name. 

His  five  ships  had  been  reduced  to  three  by  the 
wrecking:  of  one  and  the  desertion  of  another.  With 
those  that  remained  he  passed  through  the  Straits,  and 
for  the  first  time  in  history  European  vessels  breasted 
the  waves  of  the  mighty  Pacific. 

Magellan  sailed  steadily  to  the  west,  and  on  the 
1 6th  of  March,  in  the  following  year,  discovered  the 
Ladrone  Islands.  They  were  named  “ Robber  Islands  ” 
from  the  fact  that  the  natives  proved  to  be  most  adroit 
thieves,  even  going  so  far  as  to  steal  a boat  from  one 
of  the  ships.  After  a short  stay  at  the  Ladrones, 
Magellan  continued  on  his  westward  course.  The 
next  land  reached  was  the  north  coast  of  Mindanao, 
in  the  southern  Philippines. 

The  natives  proved  friendly,  and  furnished  the 
Spaniards  with  abundant  provisions.  Their  king  gave 
glowing  accounts  of  the  richness  of  Cebu,  and  as  its 
ruler  was  a relative  of  his,  offered  to  pilot  Magellan’s 
expedition  to  that  island. 

His  offer  was  accepted,  and  after  first  taking  formal 
possession  of  Mindanao  in  the  name  of  the  king  of 
Spain,  the  bold  explorer  sailed  for  the  north. 

On  the  7th  of  -Angust  he  reached  Cebu,  and  his 
arrival  spread  consternation  among  the  armed  natives 


4 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


who  gathered  on  the  beach.  Their  fears  were  allayed 
by  the  Mindanao  chieftain,  who  assured  them  that  the 
Spaniards  were  merely  seeking  provisions,  and  had  no 
hostile  designs. 

The  king  of  Cebu  accordingly  proposed  a treaty 
with  Magellan,  to  be  ratified  by  the  ceremony  of 
blood-brotherhood,  after  the  native  custom.  Magel- 
lan assented,  and  the  ceremony  was  performed.  The 
Spaniards  erected  a hut  on  shore  and  mass  was  cele- 
brated in  it,  to  the  great  awe  of  the  simple  natives. 
Members  of  the  royal  family,  chiefs,  and  other  influ- 
ential men  received  baptism,  and  swore  allegiance  to 
their  newly  found  master,  the  king  of  Spain. 

The  singular  alliance  thus  formed  seems  to  have 
been  of  the  offensive  and  defensive  sort.  At  all 
events  Magellan  entered  actively  into  a war  which 
the  king  of  Cebu  was  waging  against  his  neighbours, 
and  on  the  25th  of  April,  1521,  perished  miserably 
in  a skirmish  on  the  little  island  of  Mactan.  The 
spot  where  he  is  supposed  to  have  fallen  is  now 
marked  by  a simple  monument. 

Trouble  soon  arose  between  his  followers  and  the 
natives,  and  twenty-seven  of  the  Spaniards  were 
treacherously  slain  at  a banquet  to  which  they  had 
been  invited. 

Only  one  hundred  were  left  to  man  three  ships. 
The  number  was  deemed  insufficient,  and  one  of  the 
vessels  was  accordingly  destroyed.  The  other  two 


IN  HISTORY 


5 


sailed  westward  once  more,  discovering  Palawan,  and 
touching  at  North  Borneo.  At  Tidor  they  loaded 
with  spices,  but  one  of  them  sprang  a leak,  and  the 
cargo  had  to  be  removed.  The  other  continued  on 
her  journey,  and  her  crew,  after  many  adventures  and 
fearful  hardships,  finally  reached  their  own  country 
again,  thus  completing  the  first  circumnavigation  of 
the  globe. 

Encouraged  by  the  results  of  this  venture,  King 
Charles  organized  two  more  expeditions,  neither  of 
which  was  productive  of  important  results. 

The  Philippines  had  been  nominally  added  to  the 
Spanish  realm,  but  their  value  was  long  a matter  of 
doubt.  The  first  serious  attempt  to  take  actual  pos- 
session of  them  was  made  under  Philip  II,  in  whose 
honour  they  had  been  named.  In  providing  for  this 
new  expedition  Philip  was  inspired  by  religious  zeal,  his 
purpose  being  to  conquer  and  Christianize  the  island- 
ers. To  this  end  four  ships  and  a frigate  were  made 
ready,  on  the  coast  of  Mexico.  The  army  of  invasion 
consisted  of  four  hundred  soldiers  and  sailors  under  the 
leadership  of  Miguel  Lopez  de  Legaspi.  Six  Augus- 
tine monks  accompanied  the  men-of-war,  to  watch 
over  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  native  races  to  be 
conquered. 

In  due  time  the  expedition  reached  the  Philippines. 
After  touching  at  Camiguin  and  Bohol  and  despatch- 
ing a boat  to  Mindanao,  Legaspi  decided  to  land  at 


6 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Cebu.  The  ruling  prince  was  greatly  surprised  at 
the  appearance  of  so  many  formidable  ships,  and  sent 
one  of  his  subjects,  noted  for  his  bravery,  to  spy  on 
the  Spaniards  and  report.  The  man  was  much 
impressed  by  what  he  saw,  and  assured  his  master 
that  the  ships  were  manned  by  giants  with  long, 
pointed  noses,  who  were  dressed  in  magnificent  robes, 
ate  stones  (hard  biscuits),  drank  fire,  and  blew  smoke 
out  of  their  mouths.  The  artillery  of  the  Spaniards 
also  served  to  awe  the  prince,  and  he  thought  it  best 
to  make  friends  with  such  powerful  strangers. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1565,  Legaspi  landed,  and  took 
possession  of  the  town.  The  natives,  becoming  sus- 
picious of  his  motives,  stoutly  resisted  him,  and  kept 
up  their  attacks  for  months,  so  that  his  position  at 
one  time  became  precarious ; but  he  was  determined  to 
remain.  Little  by  little  the  people  grew  accustomed 
to  the  new  order  of  affairs,  and  the  pacification  of  Cebu 
and  the  neighbouring  islands  was  proceeding  steadily 
and  rapidly,  when  the  Portuguese  arrived  on  the  scene 
to  set  up  a claim  to  them.  They  were  driven  off,  how- 
ever. In  1570  Legaspi’s  grandson,  Salcedo,  was  sent 
to  subdue  Luzon.  He  landed  near  the  present  site 
of  Manila,  and  was  well  received  by  the  rulers  of  the 
native  tribes  in  that  vicinity,  who  seem  to  have  been 
overawed  by  the  appearance  of  the  heavily  armed 
troops.  A treaty  of  peace  was  duly  signed,  and  was 
ratified  by  the  usual  ceremony,  the  natives  giving  up 


IN  HISTORY 


7 


their  independence  and  agreeing  to  pay  tribute.  What 
advantage  they  were  to  gain  in  return  does  not  appear. 

One  of  the  chiefs,  Soliman  by  name,  repented  of 
his  bad  bargain,  and  attempted  to  make  trouble.  His 
forces  were  defeated  by  Salcedo,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  renew  his  allegiance  to  the  king  of  Spain.  The 
territory  now  included  in  the  province  of  Batangas 
was  soon  subdued,  as  was  the  island  of  Mindoro,  and 
communication  was  established  with  Legaspi,  who  was 
subjugating  Panay.  He  hastened  to  Manila,  and  on 
arriving  there  declared  that  city  the  capital  of  the 
archipelago,  and  the  king  of  Spain  the  sovereign  of 
the  whole  group. 

Dwellings  suitable  for  Europeans  were  built,  and 
fortifications  erected.  On  the  24th  of  June,  1571,  a 
city  council  was  established.  A year  later  Legaspi 
died.  The  achievements  of  this  remarkable  man  seem 
almost  incredible  when  one  considers  the  smallness  of 
his  force.  Could  the  natives  have  looked  into  the 
future,  they  would  doubtless  have  given  him  a very 
different  reception. 

Salcedo  continued  the  work  of  subduing  refractory 
tribes.  His  method  was  successful,  and  has  been  fol- 
lowed more  or  less  closely  by  his  successors  up  to  the 
present  day.  It  consisted  in  allowing  the  conquered 
people  to  be  governed  by  their  own  chiefs,  so  long  as 
the  latter  acknowledged  the  sovereignty  of  the  Spanish 
king. 


8 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


No  attempt  seems  to  have  been  made  to  explore  the 
natural  resources  of  the  country,  to  open  up  communi- 
cation between  the  different  provinces,  or  to  improve 
the  condition  of  the  people.  Mere  greed  of  conquest 
was  apparently  the  chief  motive  of  the  invaders. 

The  Spaniards  were  not  destined  to  remain  in  un- 
disturbed possession  of  their  easily  acquired  territory. 
Shortly  after  Legaspi’s  death  a rival  conqueror  appeared 
in  the  person  of  Limahong,  a Chinese  pirate  and  out- 
law. Limahong  had  chanced  to  fall  in  with  a Chinese 
trading  junk  which  was  returning  from  a trip  to  Luzon. 
This  he  captured,  and  forced  her  crew  to  pilot  him  to 
Manila.  He  brought  a formidable  fleet  of  sixty-two 
armed  junks,  carrying  4000  men  and  1500  women. 
The  news  of  Limahong’s  proposed  raid  reached  Manila 
before  him,  and  hurried  preparations  were  made  for 
the  defence  of  the  city.  The  Chinese  attacked  at 
once  upon  their  arrival,  forcing  their  way  within  the 
walls  of  the  citadel  itself,  but  were  finally  driven  out. 
A second  and  more  determined  attack  was  made  on 
the  following  day,  and  the  invaders  not  only  again 
got  within  the  walls,  but  stormed  a fort  into  which 
the  Spanish  forces  had  retired.  A bloody  hand-to-hand 
combat  followed.  The  Spaniards  fought  with  splendid 
bravery,  and  the  Chinese  were  finally  repulsed.  They 
retreated  to  their  ships,  but  not  before  they  had  been 
so  badly  punished  that  they  were  glad  to  make  their 
escape  from  the  bay. 


IN  HISTORY 


9 


Limahong  now  landed  on  the  west  coast  of  Luzon, 
and  set  up  his  “ capital  ” at  the  mouth  of  the  Agno 
River.  For  some  months  he  remained  undisturbed,  but 
a strong  force  was  eventually  sent  against  him,  and  he 
was  again  forced  to  flee.  He  left  the  archipelago  for 
good,  abandoning  some  of  his  followers,  who  took  to 
the  hills. 

About  this  time  began  the  long  series  of  dissensions 
between  Church  and  State  which  have  continued  to 
disturb  the  peace  of  the  colony  up  to  the  present  day. 
Supremacy  was  claimed  by  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical 
authorities,  and  so  much  trouble  arose  that  the  Bishop 
of  Manila  despatched  a priest  to  Spain,  with  instructions 
to  lay  the  whole  matter  before  the  king.  This  resulted 
in  the  publication  of  an  important  decree,  the  first  of 
its  kind,  which  provided  in  detail  for  the  conduct  of 
affairs  in  the  Philippines. 

Tribute  was  to  be  levied  upon  the  natives,  and  it 
was  ordered  that  the  sum  thus  raised  should  be  di- 
vided in  a definite  ratio  between  the  church,  the  treas- 
ury, and  the  army. 

Import  and  export  duties  were  also  established,  as  well 
as  fixed  salaries  for  all  soldiers  and  state  employes. 

Hospitals  were  provided  for.  The  fortifications  of 
Manila  were  to  be  improved,  four  penitentiaries  were 
to  be  established  at  suitable  points,  and  it  was  further 
decreed  that  a number  of  well-armed  war-vessels  should 
be  maintained,  to  repel  attacks  from  without. 


IO 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


A most  important  feature  of  the  decree  was  a proviso 
that  all  the  slaves  in  the  colony  should  be  set  free 
within  a specified  time,  and  that  none  should  be  made 
in  future. 

Money  was  provided  for  the  erection  of  a cathedral, 
the  number  of  Austin  friars  was  increased  by  forty, 
and  the  wandering  mendicant  friars,  who  had  previously 
infested  the  colony,  were  now  speedily  suppressed. 

Meanwhile,  the  only  communication  between  Spain 
and  the  Philippines  was  by  way  of  Mexico ; and  the 
colony  was  dependent  for  additional  troops,  for  manu- 
factured goods  of  all  descriptions,  and  even  for  money, 
on  the  galleons  which  arrived  from  time  to  time. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  the 
hostilities  between  the  Spanish  and  the  Dutch  extended 
to  the  Philippines  ; and  the  latter  not  infrequently  sent 
strongly  armed  vessels  to  lie  in  wait  for,  and  capture, 
the  Mexican  treasure-ships,  thereby  inflicting  heavy 
loss  upon  the  colony.  A detailed  account  of  the  naval 
engagements  which  followed  would  fill  a volume.  At 
one  time  a formidable  Dutch  fleet  arrived  off  Manila 
Bay  at  a time  when  the  governor  was  ill  prepared  to 
repel  an  attack,  and  had  they  pressed  their  advantage 
with  vigour,  they  might  have  taken  Manila  and  changed 
the  history  of  the  Philippines. 

They  preferred,  however,  to  lie  outside  of  the  bay, 
and  capture  the  rich  merchantmen  as  they  attempted 
to  run  in.  Their  delay  gave  the  Spanish  opportunity 


IN  HISTORY 


1 1 

to  complete  their  preparations,  and  they  eventually  at- 
tacked the  Dutch  fleet,  completely  routing  it  in  the 
famous  battle  of  Playa  Honda. 

Reprisals  followed  on  both  sides,  but  the  Dutch  never 
succeeded  in  effecting  a lodgement  in  the  Philippines. 
They  captured  a Spanish  colony  in  Formosa,  but  were 
themselves  driven  out  by  the  Chinese  twenty  years 
later.  After  half  a century  of  strife,  they  finally  con- 
centrated their  energies  on  the  development  of  their 
own  East  Indian  possessions  and  ceased  to  molest  the 
Spanish. 

For  some  years  thereafter,  the  only  disturbing  influ- 
ences in  the  Philippines  arose  from  the  dishonesty  of 
high  officials  and  the  eternal  dissensions  between 
Church  and  State.  For  a time  the  Inquisition  had 
agents  in  the  archipelago,  to  inquire  into  the  private 
acts  of  individuals,  and  much  suffering  fell  on  many 
innocent  people. 

An  event  of  importance  in  Philippine  history  was 
the  first  massacre  of  the  Chinese.  At  the  time  of  the 
Tartar  invasion  of  China,  in  the  middle  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  one  of  the  few  Mongol  chiefs  who 
refused  to  yield  was  a mandarin  named  Keuseng.  He 
at  first  retired  to  the  island  of  Kinmuen,  but  finding 
his  communication  with  the  mainland  cut  off,  turned 
his  attention  to  Formosa,  on  which  there  were  at 
that  time  Dutch  settlements.  Twenty-eight  hundred 
Europeans  were  attacked  by  about  a hundred  thousand 


12 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Chinese  and  were  forced  to  surrender.  Keuseng  now 
bethought  himself  of  the  Philippines,  and  despatched 
a Dominican  missionary,  whose  acquaintance  he  had 
formed,  to  demand  from  their  governor  the  payment 
of  tribute  under  penalty  of  attack. 

In  1662  this  envoy,  Victorio  Riccio,  arrived  at 
Manila,  where  he  was  received  with  honour.  Letters 
from  Formosa  had  meanwhile  reached  some  of  the 
Chinese  at  the  capital,  and  the  governor,  learning  this 
fact,  accused  them  of  conspiracy.  All  the  available 
forces  were  concentrated,  and  when  everything  was 
ready  the  Chinese  were  incited  to  rebel,  and  a gen- 
eral massacre  followed.  It  is  said  that  the  Spaniards 
at  first  planned  to  kill  every  Chinaman,  but  before 
they  had  carried  out  this  intention  it  fortunately 
occurred  to  them  that  the  resulting  lack  of  tradesmen 
and  mechanics  would  cause  inconvenience,  so  those 
who  remained  were  graciously  pardoned  on  condition 
of  laying  down  their  arms.  Some  of  the  Chinese 
escaped  to  Formosa.  Riccio  returned  to  his  master, 
and  Keuseng  prepared  to  take  vengeance  oh  the  Span- 
ish, but  died  of  fever  before  he  could  carry  out  his 
plan. 

In  1761  war  was  declared  by  Great  Britain  against 
France  and  Spain.  Havana  was  captured  by  the 
British,  and  a fleet  was  despatched  under  Admiral 
Cornish,  with  orders  to  take  Manila.  On  the  2 2d 
of  September,  1762,  this  fleet  arrived  before  the  doomed 


IN  HISTORY 


13 


city,  and  land  forces  were  disembarked  under  com- 
mand of  General  Draper.  The  surrender  of  the  place 
was  demanded  and  refused,  whereupon  Draper  bom- 
barded it.  The  Spanish  garrison  was  inferior  to  the 
English  force  in  numbers,  but  made  a stout  resistance, 
and  5000  native  recruits  came  to  its  support.  Two 
thousand  picked  men  were  ordered  to  attack  the  British 
position  in  three  columns.  They  were  utterly  routed, 
and  fled  in  disorder  to  their  homes.  The  city  finally 
fell.  Terms  of  capitulation  were  drawn  up  by  Draper 
and  the  Archbishop  of  Manila,  who,  in  the  absence  of 
a Governor-General,  was  serving  in  a double  capacity. 
The  agreement  called  for  freedom  in  the  exercise  of 
religion;  security  of  private  property;  free  trade  for 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands ; and  the  continuance 
of  the  powers  of  the  supreme  court,  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  order.  The  Spanish  were  to  pay  an  indemnity 
of  $4,000,000. 

What  followed  would  not,  at  the  present  day,  be 
considered  greatly  to  the  credit  of  a commander-in-chief. 
Draper  placed  guards  at  the  doors  of  the  nunneries  and 
convents,  and  then  gave  the  city  over  for  pillage  during 
three  hours.  The  English  troopers  are  said  to  have 
shown  moderation,  but  the  Sepoys,  of  whom  Draper 
had  some  2200,  outraged  women,  and  robbed  and  mur- 
dered the  inhabitants  in  the  very  streets.  On  the 
following  day  there  was  a similar  scene,  whereupon 
the  Archbishop  protested,  and  Draper  restored  order. 


14 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  surrendered  territory  included  the  whole  archi- 
pelago, but  the  English  were  not  destined  to  occupy 
more  than  that  part  of  it  which  lay  immediately  around 
Manila.  The  garrison  at  Cavite  capitulated,  and  at 
one  time  it  was  planned  to  send  a force  to  Zamboanga 
in  Mindanao,  and  establish  a government  there,  but 
nothing  came  of  this  project. 

The  conquerors  were  not  left  undisturbed  at  Manila. 
The  day  before  the  city  fell,  one  of  the  justices  of  the 
supreme  court,  Simon  de  Anda  by  name,  escaped  in 
a native  boat,  taking  refuge  in  the  province  of  Bula- 
can.  He  carried  with  him  a supply  of  government 
stamped-paper,  and  proceeded  to  declare  himself  Gov- 
ernor-General. He  bombarded  Manila  with  lengthy 
proclamations,  and  the  British  Council  replied  by  de- 
claring him  to  be  “ a seditious  person,  and  deserving 
of  capital  punishment.” 

Anda  raised  troops,  and  desultory  fighting  ensued  be- 
tween his  forces  and  the  British  without  any  decisive 
results. 

A conspiracy  to  assassinate  Anda  and  his  Spanish 
followers  was  discovered  among  the  Chinese  in  Pam- 
panga  province,  and  a massacre  of  the  Mongols  fol- 
lowed. Anda  was  so  enraged  with  them  that  he  issued 
a proclamation  declaring  them  all  traitors,  and  ordered 
them  hanged  wherever  found.  Thousands,  who  had 
been  in  no  way  concerned  in  the  conspiracy,  are  said 
to  have  been  executed. 


IN  HISTORY 


15 


The  war  indemnity  which  had  been  agreed  upon  was 
not  forthcoming.  The  British  forces  were  harassed 
by  attacks  from  without  the  city,  and  by  fear  of 
treachery  within,  and  at  last  the  officers  fell  to  quar- 
relling among  themselves. 

Meanwhile,  the  war  had  come  to  an  end  in  Europe, 
and  the  evacuation  of  Manila  had  been  provided  for  by 
the  terms  of  the  Peace  of  Paris,  concluded  on  the  10th 
of  February,  1763.  A communication  to  this  effect  was 
given  to  the  archbishop  for  the  “ Commander-in-chief  ” 
of  the  Spanish  forces;  but  Anda,  maintaining  that  he 
should  have  been  addressed  as  Captain-General,  refused 
to  receive  it,  and  the  war  really  continued  until  the 
Archbishop  died  on  January  30,  1764. 

The  British  now  recognized  Anda  as  governor ; but 
there  were  rival  claimants  for  the  honour,  and  quarrels 
ensued  between  them.  The  difficulty  was  settled  by 
the  arrival  of  a new  Governor-General  direct  from 
Spain,  one  Don  Francisco  de  la  Torre.  He  at  once 
notified  the  British  commanders  that  he  was  ready  to 
take  over  the  city,  and  they  promptly  evacuated  it  and 
sailed  away,  although  a considerable  portion  of  the 
indemnity  still  remained  unpaid. 

Sufficient  time  had  elapsed  since  the  conquest  to 
give  the  natives  a taste  of  what  Spanish  rule  meant. 
They  had  begun  to  weary  of  it,  and  during  the  troubled 
times  which  followed  the  departure  of  the  British,  sev- 
eral serious  revolts  against  Spanish  authority  occurred. 


i6 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  first  noteworthy  uprising  was  made  by  the  natives 
of  Bohol  in  1622.  The  causes  which  led  to  it  were 
the  same  which  have  provoked  many  of  the  more 
recent  revolts ; namely,  the  tyranny  of  the  Church, 
and  the  burdensome  taxes  levied  by  Church  and  State 
alike.  The  rebels  were  dispersed  by  troops  under  the 
governor  of  Cebu. 

Another  revolt,  which  was  promptly  suppressed,  oc- 
curred in  northeast  Mindanao  in  1629. 

In  1649  the  people  of  Samar  rebelled,  on  account 
of  an  attempt  to  force  them  into  military  service. 
Under  the  leadership  of  one  Sumoroy  they  killed  a 
priest,  and  sacked  the  churches  along  the  coast.  The 
governor  of  the  island  despatched  native  emissaries  to 
bring  in  Sumoroy’s  head,  but  they  sent  him  instead 
the  head  of  a pig.  The  revolt  spread,  and  troops 
were  despatched  into  the  interior  to  quell  it.  They 
failed  to  take  Sumoroy,  but  found  his  mother  in  a 
hut,  and,  true  to  Spanish  traditions,  literally  tore  the 
defenceless  old  woman  to  pieces.  Sumoroy  was  at 
length  betrayed  by  his  own  people. 

This  uprising  spread  to  other  provinces,  and  trouble 
arose  in  Masbate,  Cebu,  and  Mindanao.  In  the  lat- 
ter island  things  assumed  so  threatening  an  aspect 
that  a large  force  of  infantry  was  sent  against  the 
rebels.  The  captain  in  command,  being  a diplomatist, 
first  published  a general  pardon  in  the  name  of  the 
king.  He  then  made  prisoners  of  the  crowds  of  in- 


IN  HISTORY 


1 7 


surgents  who  flocked  to  his  camp,  and  sent  them 
to  Manila,  where  a few  of  them  were  pardoned,  and 
others  executed ; but  it  is  said  that  the  majority  were 
made  galley-slaves. 

In  1660  the  natives  of  Pampanga  province  grew 
weary  of  being  obliged  to  cut  timber  for  the  Cavite 
arsenal  without  pay,  and  revolted.  Neighbouring  prov- 
inces joined  in  the  rebellion,  and  one  Andres  Malong 
was  declared  king.  He  organized  three  army  corps, 
aggregating  11,000  men,  and  these  were  recruited  on 
the  march  until  they  numbered  some  40,000.  Many 
Spaniards  were  killed,  but  the  natives  were  finally  de- 
feated and  scattered  by  a force  ridiculously  inferior  to 
their  own  in  numbers. 

In  1744  the  despotism  of  a Jesuit  priest  caused  an 
uprising  in  Bohol.  The  priest  had  not  only  ordered 
his  parishioners  arrested  when  they  failed  to  attend 
mass,  but  had  directed  that  the  body  of  one  of  them 
should  be  left  unburied,  to  rot  in  the  sun.  The 

brother  of  this  man  organized  a force,  captured  the 
priest,  and  paid  him  in  his  own  coin,  killing  him  and 
exposing  his  body  for  four  days. 

The  rebel  forces  were  rapidly  augmented  by  men 
who  complained  that  while  they  were  risking  their 
lives  in  military  service  for  the  government  their 
homes  were  wrecked,  and  their  wives  and  families 
maltreated  to  secure  the  payment  of  tribute.  The 

insurgents  maintained  their  independence  for  thirty- 


i8 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  the  Jesuits  were 
expelled  from  the  colony. 

In  1823  a body  of  native  troops  revolted,  trying  to 
seize  Manila  and  place  their  captain  at  the  head  of 
the  government.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  at- 
tempt was  an  utter  failure. 

Other  uprisings  followed,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  one  in  Cebu  in  1827,  and  one  in  Negros 
in  1844.  The  latter  is  said  to  have  resulted  from  the 
governor’s  compelling  state  prisoners  to  work  for  his 
private  advantage. 

The  most  formidable  rebellion  before  that  of  1896 
occurred  at  Cavite  in  1872.  There  were  conspirators 
both  at  the  arsenal  and  in  the  capital,  and  it  had  been 
agreed  that  when  the  opportune  moment  arrived  the 
Manila  contingent  should  signal  the  fact  by  discharg- 
ing a rocket.  The  Cavite  insurgents  mistook  fireworks 
sent  up  at  a local  celebration  for  the  expected  signal, 
and  began  operations  prematurely.  They  were  forced 
to  retire  to  the  arsenal,  and  all  were  eventually  killed 
or  captured.  Hostility  to  the  Spanish  friars  was  at 
the  bottom  of  this  uprising  also.  A certain  Dr.  Burgos 
had  headed  a party  which  demanded  fulfilment  of  the 
decisions  of  the  Council  of  Trent  prohibiting  friars 
from  holding  parishes.  These  provisions  had  never 
been  carried  out  in  the  Philippines,  and  the  various 
orders  were  steadily  growing  more  rich,  powerful,  and 
arrogant.  It  is  commonly  believed  that  churchmen 


IN  HISTORY 


19 


were  the  real  instigators  of  this  revolt,  desiring  to  in- 
volve Burgos  and  his  followers  in  treasonable  transac- 
tions and  thus  bring  about  their  death.  However  this 
may  have  been,  the  friars  insisted  that  they  should  be 
executed,  and  carried  their  point. 

The  history  of  the  revolt  of  1896  has  not  yet  been 
written,  and  at  this  time  and  distance  reliable  facts 
are  not  obtainable.  I,  for  one,  was  not  surprised 
when  the  news  came  that  several  provinces  were  in 
rebellion,  for  during  the  years  1890-1893,  while  trav- 
elling in  the  archipelago,  I everywhere  heard  the  mut- 
terings  that  go  before  a storm.  It  was  the  old  story: 
compulsory  military  service ; taxes  too  heavy  to  be 
borne,  and  imprisonment  or  deportation  with  confis- 
cation of  property  for  those  who  could  not  pay  them ; 
no  justice  except  for  those  who  could  afford  to  buy 
it;  cruel  extortion  by  the  friars  in  the  more  secluded 
districts ; wives  and  daughters  ruined ; the  marriage 
ceremony  too  costly  a luxury  for  the  poor ; the  dead 
refused  burial  without  payment  of  a substantial  sum 
in  advance ; no  opportunity  for  education ; little  en- 
couragement for  industry  and  economy,  since  to  acquire 
wealth  meant  to  become  a target  for  officials  and  friars 
alike  ; these  and  a hundred  other  wrongs  had  goaded 
natives  and  half-castes  until  they  were  stung  to  des- 
peration. 

Their  early  successes;  their  retreat  to  the  mountains; 
the  fearful  mortality  caused  by  the  climate  among  the 


20 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Spanish  troops  sent  against  them ; their  “ pacification  ” 
by  promises  of  reform  and  by  the  bribing  of  their 
leaders,  as  well  as  the  failure  of  the  Governor-General 
to  carry  out  his  promises  to  them,  are  all  matters  of 
common  knowledge. 

Then  came  a fresh  revolt,  which  was  rapidly  assuming 
dangerous  proportions  when  Admiral  Dewey's  wonder- 
ful victory  over  the  Spanish  fleet  gave  it  such  an  im- 
petus as  no  other  rising  in  the  Philippines  has  ever 
had.  When  one  considers  the  treatment  which  has 
been  accorded  to  captured  rebels  by  the  Spaniards,  he 
cannot  fail  to  admire  the  self-restraint  shown  by  the 
insurgents  during  the  operations  which  followed. 

On  August  13th  Manila  fell,  and  as  I write  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  are  floating  over  the  city,  while  the  whole 
future  of  the  Philippine  Islands  hangs  in  the  balance. 


CHAPTER  II 


MANILA 

For  many  years  the  only  regular  and  frequent  com- 
munication between  Manila  and  the  outside  world  has 
been  by  way  of  Hong-Kong.  To  be  sure,  the  monthly 
Spanish  mail-steamers  have  come  direct  from  the  Pe- 
ninsula, but  the  vessels  have  been  so  dirty,  and  the 
accommodations  so  poor,  that  even  passengers  from 
Europe  have  preferred  to  go  to  Hong-Kong  and  re- 
ship. The  run  from  this  port  is  about  630  miles,  and 
occupies  from  two  and  a half  to  three  days. 

The  trip  is  not  one  that  can  be  anticipated  with 
delight.  The  regular  steamers  are  necessarily  small, 
for  they  must  not  draw  more  than  thirteen  or  fourteen 
feet  if  they  are  to  enter  the  Pasig  River.  While  Manila 
Bay  is  very  beautiful  to  look  upon,  it  is  far  too  large 
to  afford  safe  anchorage.  Its  circumference  is  about 
120  miles,  and  the  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Bay  to  the  city  is  more  than  thirty.  The  sea  runs 
heavily  during  a bad  blow,  and  on  more  than  one 
occasion  in  the  past  a typhoon  has  strewn  the  wrecks 
of  large  ships  under  the  very  walls  of  the  city.  Apart 
from  the  danger  to  shipping  during  the  typhoon  season, 


21 


22 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


it  is  both  costly  and  unsafe  to  discharge  cargo  into 
lighters  in  the  bay,  so  that  nearly  all  the  steamers 
on  the  run  are  built  with  special  reference  to  crossing 
the  bar. 

The  monsoons  blow  over  the  China  Sea  with  force 
enough  to  stir  up  high  waves,  and  the  little  flat- 
bottomed  Manila  boats  roll  in  the  constant  beam  sea 
until  life  on  them  grows  decidedly  burdensome.  I 
have  made  the  trip  in  my  berth,  because  it  was  im- 
possible to  stand  or  sit  with  any  comfort,  and  have 
arrived  at  my  destination  with  elbows  and  knees  raw 
from  being  used  as  braces  to  prevent  my  being  pitched 
out  bodily;  this,  too,  in  “good”  China  Sea  weather, 
with  nothing  worse  than  the  monsoon  blowing. 

It  was  in  blissful  ignorance  of  what  lay  before  us 
that  our  party  boarded  the  Zafiro  in  Hong-Kong 
harbour  on  an  August  afternoon  in  1887.  We  were 
planning  to  spend  a year  in  travel  through  the  Philip- 
pine archipelago,  and  to  collect  and  study  the  animals 
inhabiting  the  different  islands;  and,  knowing  that 
we  were  going  to  a country  where  many  of  the  things 
necessary  for  our  work  could  not  be  had,  we  had  been 
busy  for  a week  laying  in  the  necessary  supplies. 

It  was  against  the  law  to  bring  Mexican  dollars  into 
the  Philippines,  so  at  the  last  moment  we  had  con- 
verted our  money  into  Manila  exchange,  retaining 
barely  enough  to  square  our  hotel  bill  and  pay  for 
the  transportation  of  our  numerous  trunks  and  boxes 


MANILA 


23 


to  the  steamer.  We  were  just  settling  with  our  land- 
lord when  in  came  a bill  for  freight,  which  we  had 
not  expected  to  see  before  our  journey’s  end.  When 
this  was  attended  to,  we  found  ourselves  with  an  avail- 
able balance  of  just  ninety  cents  on  hand.  No  sam- 
pan-man would  transfer  us  and  our  luggage  to  the 
steamer  for  less  than  two  dollars,  and  we  stood  on 
the  wharf,  gloomily  watching  our  steamer  get  her 
anchor  up,  and  thinking  of  the  joys  of  another  week 
in  Hong-Kong,  when  along  came  a launch  looking  for 
a job.  It  was  ninety  cents  or  nothing,  and  her  owner 
took  the  ninety  cents.  Five  minutes  later  we  clam- 
bered up  the  Zafiros  side,  much  excited  over  our 
narrow  escape  from  being  left ; but  we  had  hardly 
reached  her  deck  when  we  learned  that  she  was  only 
running  for  a safer  anchorage  because  the  typhoon 
signal  was  up. 

The  next  morning  at  daybreak,  we  got  under  way 
again  and  headed  boldly  out  into  the  China  Sea. 
The  storm  of  the  day  before  had  blown  itself  out, 
but  a tremendous  swell  was  running,  and  our  little 
flat-bottomed  steamer  tossed  like  a cockle-shell.  We 
were  not  in  the  least  daunted;  for,  after  crossing  the 
Pacific,  and  passing  through  a genuine  typhoon  on 
our  run  down  from  Japan,  we  felt  ready  for  anything. 

We  were  very  happy  over  the  thought  that  our  seven 
weeks’  journey  was  nearing  its  end,  and,  as  no  other 
passengers  were  visible,  we  ventured  to  give  vent  to 


24 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


our  feelings  by  singing  college  songs.  At  first  the 
music  went  well,  but  it  soon  began  to  lag.  After  half 
an  hour  Moseley  rose,  smiled  on  the  party,  and  with- 
drew. A few  minutes  later  the  Doctor  also  withdrew. 
He  did  not  stop  to  smile.  For  an  hour  or  more 
Bourns,  Mateo,  and  I held  the  fort,  until  Bourns,  in  an 
unhappy  moment,  lit  a cigarette.  Before  finishing  it  he 
decided  to  go  and  lie  down. 

Mateo,  a native  Philippine  Islander  who  had  spent 
thirteen  years  in  America,  was  a man  of  few  words, 
and  his  English  was  sometimes  odd.  As  he  watched 
the  retreating  figure  of  Bourns,  he  spoke  for  the  first 
time  that  morning.  “ Guess  they  sick,  ain’t  it  ? ” I had 
myself  already  reached  the  conclusion  that  it  probably 
was.  A few  moments  later  Mateo  himself  joined  the 
majority. 

At  tiffin-time  I decided  that  I was  not  hungry,  but 
in  the  evening  mustered  courage  to  go  down  to  din- 
ner. The  first  officer  and  I had  the  table  all  to  our- 
selves. Even  the  captain  had  “ sore  eyes,”  from  which 
he  recovered  when  the  sea  went  down.  The  first 
officer  told  me  that  they  planned  on  having  the  majority 
of  their  passengers  sick,  and  carried  much  less  pro- 
vision than  would  usually  be  required  for  a run  of 
such  length. 

Most  of  our  party  soon  recovered,  but  few  of  the 
other  passengers  appeared  until  we  were  running  up 
Manila  Bay  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  out. 


MANILA 


25 


A Spanish  captain,  more  venturesome  than  the  rest, 
joined  us  at  table  on  the  second  day.  The  Doctor  at 
once  began  to  dust  up  his  knowledge  of  Castilian,  and 
he  evidently  needed  to;  for  within  ten  minutes  he  had 
nearly  driven  the  unfortunate  man  from  the  table  by 
substituting  sapo  for  rana  and  gravely  informing  him 
that  in  our  country  toads  were  considered  a table 
luxury  and  he  himself  had  often  eaten  them ! The 
thought  of  this  remarkable  American  dish,  combined 
with  the  sea  that  was  running,  nearly  proved  too  much 
for  the  Capitan , and  it  was  evidently  with  difficulty 
that  he  restrained  his  emotions. 

Whenever  he  met  the  Doctor  after  that,  he  would 
surreptitiously  run  out  his  tongue  and  remark,  in  a tone 
of  reminiscent  disgust,  “ Pah  ! Sapos  ! ” 

When  at  last  we  were  running  down  the  bay,  a 
number  of  Spaniards  whom  we  had  not  seen  before 
appeared  on  deck.  They  had  kept  to  their  berths 
throughout  the  voyage. 

We  all  watched  eagerly  for  the  first  view  of  the  city. 
One  moment  we  could  see  nothing;  the  next,  Manila 
lay  before  us.  It  is  built  on  low  ground,  nowhere  more 
than  a few  feet  above  tide-water,  and,  as  one  approaches, 
the  little  that  can  be  seen  from  the  bay  all  comes  into 
view  at  once. 

The  tide  was  low  and  we  could  not  get  over  the  bar, 
but  were  obliged  to  anchor  outside.  A steam  launch 
soon  brought  the  usual  harbour  officials,  and  a few  min- 


26 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


utes  later  a second  launch  loaded  with  troops  bore  down 
on  us.  We  imagined  that  an  arrest,  or  something  else 
exciting,  was  about  to  take  place,  and  were  quite  dis- 
gusted to  find  that  it  was  only  a squad  of  carabineros, 
in  charge  of  a gorgeous  custom  officer,  who  were  to  be 
stationed  on  our  ship  to  watch  for  smuggling. 

With  great  difficulty  we  persuaded  the  officer  to  allow 
us  to  take  a few  toilet  articles  and  a change  of  clothing 
ashore.  He,  however,  very  kindly  volunteered  to  put 
us  off  in  his  launch,  and  we  were  soon  hurrying  up  the 
dirty  Pasig  River,  which  separates  the  old  city  from  the 
new.  On  the  surface  of  the  water  were  what  looked 
like  numerous  small  heads  of  lettuce,  and  we  wondered 
if  the  stream  had  been  invading  some  one’s  market- 
garden,  not  knowing  that  a curious  floating  water-plant 
abounds  in  the  marshes  around  the  Laguna  de  Bay,  and 
is  washed  down  in  quantity  during  the  floods  in  the 
rainy  season. 

The  river  presented  a strange  scene  to  our  unaccus- 
tomed eyes.  Here  and  there  huge  square-ended  cascos 
or  cargo-lighters  were  pushed  slowly  up-stream  by 
sturdy  Malays,  whose  method  of  propelling  them  was 
quite  new  to  us.  Along  each  side  of  a lighter  passed 
a procession  of  men  clad  only  in  very  abbreviated 
pantaloons.  Each  of  them  carried  a long  bamboo  pole. 
Walking  to  the  up-river  end  of  the  clumsy  craft,  he 
would  thrust  his  pole  deep  into  the  mud  at  the  river 
bottom,  step  on  to  the  edge  of  the  boat,  lean  forward 


MANILA 


27 


SCENE  ON  A MANILA  CANAL,  SHOWING  CASCOS  AND  DUGOUTS 


28 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


and  downward  until  his  face  was  within  a few  inches 
of  the  water,  place  the  end  of  his  pole  in  a deep  de- 
pression in  the  top  of  his  shoulder  and  begin  to  push, 
‘walking  along  the  edge  of  the  lighter  toward  the  stern 
as  he  did  so,  and  literally  kicking  it  out  from  under 
him  and  up  the  stream. 

We  met  a particularly  disreputable  lighter  coming 
down,  and,  having  no  previous  knowledge  of  the  famil- 
iarity with  which  sacred  things  are  treated  in  some 
countries,  were  scandalized  to  see  its  name,  J-E-S-U-S, 
painted  on  the  side  in  letters  two  feet  long. 

Along  the  banks  were  steamers,  schooners,  and  other 
craft  from  the  provinces ; huge  canoes,  each  hollowed 
from  a single  tree-trunk,  for  receiving  light  cargo; 
small  dugouts  with  nipa  shades  and  bamboo  outrig- 
gers, for  carrying  passengers  to  and  from  the  shipping; 
Cavite  ferry-boats,  up-river  ferry-boats,  and  what  not. 
The  various  craft  were  all  manned  by  Tagalogs,  who 
either  wore  their  shirts  outside  of  their  pantaloons  or 
disdained  to  wear  shirts  at  all.  We  were  landed  near 
the  Puente  de  Espana,  which  stems  the  stream  and 
affords  communication  between  the  new  city  and  the 
old.  Before  we  had  fairly  set  foot  on  shore,  vehicles 
of  several  descriptions  and  all  degrees  of  antiquity 
began  to  bear  down  on  us.  There  are  three  styles  of 
equipage  for  rent  in  Manila.  These  are  the  two-horse 
carriiage  or  barouche,  the  quelis , and  the  caromata. 
The  carruage  is  the  eminently  proper  thing  to  take. 


MANILA 


29 


The  quelis  is  a little,  square,  two-wheeled  trap  with 
the  driver  perched  up  in  front  and  seats  for  four  inside. 
It  is  a respectable  and  inexpensive  conveyance, 
and  is  very  convenient  in  dodging  along  crowded 
streets. 

Finally,  there  is  the  caromata  or  native  cart  with  its 
one  dilapidated  pony  and  rope  harness,  a top-heavy, 
two-wheeled  institution  which  goes  racketing  crazily 
along,  apparently  always  on  the  point  of  turning  bot- 
tom up.  The  driver  rides  inside  with  the  passengers, 
sometimes  sitting  in  their  laps.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  the  caromata  is  patronized  only  by  sailors,  China- 
men, and  natives. 

We  embarked  in  a carruage  and  set  out  to  inspect 
the  hotels.  Our  task  was  soon  accomplished,  for  there 
were  only  two.  We  chose  the  Hotel  de  Europa,  which 
seemed  a little  less  bad  than  the  other.  Four  of  us 
were  given  quarters  in  one  room,  Mateo  being  put  by 
himself. 

Dinner  was  soon  served,  and  we  were  almost  imme- 
diately in  the  midst  of  our  experiences  with  our  first 
genuine  Spanish  meal.  There  was  an  abundance  of 
food,  and  some  of  the  dishes  were  good,  but  we  were 
not  accustomed  to  garlic,  which  we  learned  to  like  in 
time,  nor  to  sweet  peppers,  which  I for  one  never 
ceased  to  abominate,  and,  as  most  of  the  food  was 
flavoured  with  the  one  or  the  other,  we  did  not  make 
out  a very  satisfactory  comida.  Our  attention  was  rather 


30 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


distracted  from  the  main  business  of  the  hour  by  the 
performances  of  the  native  waiters  and  Spanish  guests. 
We  gazed  in  wonder  at  the  dexterity  and  fearlessness 
with  which  the  latter  used  their  knives  to  shovel  meat, 
cabbage,  potato,  gravy,  beans,  and  even  bread,  into  their 
mouths.  The  custom  is  evidently  a national  one. 

One  of  the  finest  old  Spaniards  I ever  knew  once 
showed  me  regretfully  that  his  hand  had  grown  so 
unsteady  he  could  no  longer  eat  pease  with  his  knife. 
We  found  later  that  even  the  Governor-General  and 
his  wife  were  no  exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  The 
practice  doubtless  has  some  things  to  recommend  it, 
but  it  is  well  that  knives  should  not  be  too  sharp,  or 
men  who  have  practised  a lifetime  may  come  to  grief. 

Our  friend  Captain  G.  once  entertained  four  Span- 
ish officers  at  dinner  on  his  steamer.  He  was  famous 
for  the  excellent  condition  in  which  he  kept  his  cut- 
lery, and,  being  new  to  the  country,  and  ignorant  of  its 
customs,  he  had  his  sharpest  knives  put  on  the  table. 
Before  the  second  course  was  finished,  one  of  the 
officers  split  his  lip  wide  open.  As  he  wiped  away 
the  blood  with  his  napkin,  he  remarked,  “ Sehor  Capi- 
tau , will  you  not  have  the  kindness  to  order  other 
knives  brought  ? These  are  so  sharp  one  cannot  eat 
with  the  mi' 

We  had,  at  first,  been  somewhat  in  the  dark  as  to 
why  the  natives  wore  their  shirts  outside  of  their  pan- 
taloons ; but  when  one  of  our  party  asked  for  a clean 


MANILA 


3i 


spoon,  and  the  waiter  snatched  a dirty  one  from  a va- 
cant place,  wiped  it  on  the  tail  of  his  shirt,  and  pre- 
sented it  with  a cheerful  smile,  we  decided  that  the 
custom  had  its  evident  advantages. 

It  was  very  hot,  and  after  dinner,  or  more  properly 
tiffin,  we  felt  strongly  inclined  to  adopt  the  custom  of 
the  country  and  take  a siesta.  This  at  once  brought 
us  face  to  face  with  that  serious  problem  the  Philip- 
pine bed.  It  is  an  imposing-looking  structure.  Its 
four  high  posts  support  lace  curtains  and  a mosquito 
bar.  In  the  place  of  springs  or  bed-cord  is  a network 
of  cane,  woven  as  in  the  seats  of  our  chairs.  Over 
this  is  spread  a thin  Malay  sleeping-mat,  with  one  or 
two  sheets,  a pillow,  and  a bolster.  To  get  inside 
without  at  the  same  time  admitting  a cloud  of  mos- 
quitoes is  in  itself  an  art,  while  the  unfortunate  novice 
who  does  not  know  how  to  use  the  bolster  to  support 
the  otherwise  unsupported  portions  of  his  body  is  apt 
to  find  the  smooth,  unyielding  surface  under  him  any- 
thing but  comfortable.  Once  educated  up  to  this  bed, 
however,  he  comes  to  regard  it  as  a luxury,  and  aban- 
dons it  with  regret  when  he  leaves  the  country. 

Our  attempt  at  a siesta  was  not  very  successful,  and 
we  finally  gave  it  up  and  started  out  to  see  the  city, 
while  the  Doctor  went  to  interview  the  Governor-Gen- 
eral, without  whose  order  there  was  no  hope  of  get- 
ting our  luggage  through  the  custom-house.  Our 
chests  contained  guns  and  ammunition,  which  in  the 


32 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Philippines  are  at  all  times  contraband,  and  we  required 
permission  not  only  to  bring  them  in,  but  to  retain  and 
use  them  after  they  had  passed  customs. 

It  does  not  take  one  Ions:  to  exhaust  the  sights  of 
Manila,  if  one  excepts  the  people,  who  are  always  in- 
teresting. It  is  difficult  to  get  thoroughly  reliable 
figures,  but  in  time  of  peace  the  population  of  the 
city  and  its  immediate  environs  does  not  vary  much 
from  300,000  souls.  Of  these  200,000  are  natives, 
50,000  Chinese  half-castes,  40,000  Chinese,  5000  Span- 
ish and  Spanish  creoles,  4000  Spanish  half-castes,  and 
300  white  foreigners  other  than  Spanish. 

Many  of  the  Spaniards  are  army  or  navy  men,  and 
have  to  appear  in  uniform,  but  unless  there  is  some 
good  reason  to  the  contrary  all  Europeans  wear  white 
duck  suits  over  very  thin  underwear,  and  remain 
comfortable  in  a temperature  which  would  be  unen- 
durable were  heavy  or  dark  clothing  worn. 

The  Chinaman  sticks  to  his  national  costume,  while 
the  people  of  mixed  blood  almost  invariably  adopt  the 
native  dress.  For  men  this  consists  of  hat,  panta- 
loons, shirt,  and  slippers.  One  occasionally  sees  a 
native,  and  more  frequently  a mestizo  (man  of  mixed 
descent),  sweltering  in  European  costume  of  exagger- 
ated style,  his  feet  encased  in  pointed  patent-leather 
shoes  and  his  head  topped  by  a black  Derby  hat. 
The  hat  is  the  most  prized  portion  of  the  civilized 
native’s  costume,  and  is  almost  invariably  the  first  ar- 


MANILA 


33 


tide  of  European  dress  adopted  by  the  unregenerate 
savage. 

When  good  materials  are  used,  the  dress  of  the 
native  and  mestizo,  women  is  very  pretty,  and  it  is  so 
comfortable  that  many  of  their  European  sisters  adopt 
it  during  leisure  hours  at  home.  It  consists  of  a thin 
camisa  or  waist,  with  huge  flowing  sleeves ; a more 
or  less  highly  embroidered  white  chemise,  showing 
through  the  camisa;  a large  panuelo  or  kerchief  folded 
about  the  neck,  with  ends  crossed  and  pinned  on  the 
breast;  a gaily  colored  skirt  with  long  train;  and  a 
square  of  black  cloth,  the  tapis , drawn  tightly  around 
the  body  from  waist  to  knees.  Camisa  and  panuelo 
are  sometimes  made  of  the  expensive  and  beautiful 
piiia  or  pineapple  silk,  and  in  that  case  are  hand- 
somely embroidered.  More  often,  unfortunately,  the 
kerchief  is  of  cotton  and  the  waist  of  Manila  hemp. 
Stockings  are  not  worn,  as  a rule,  and  the  slippers 
which  take  the  place  of  shoes  have  no  heels,  and  no 
uppers  except  for  a narrow  strip  of  leather  over  the 
toes.  It  is  an  art  to  walk  in  these  chinelas  without 
losing  them  off,  but  the  native  and  mestizo  belles  con- 
trive to  dance  in  them,  and  feel  greatly  chagrined  if 
they  lose  their  foot-gear  in  the  operation. 

Many  of  the  mestizo  women  and  girls  are  very 
attractive,  and  like  the  native  women  they  have  beau- 
tiful hair,  which  not  infrequently  reaches  to  their  heels, 
and  of  which  they  are  inordinately  proud.  They  also 


34 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


SPANISH  MESTIZAS,  SHOWING  TAGALOG  DRESS  (WITHOUT  TAPIS)  — MANILA 


MANILA 


35 


take  pride  in  small  feet,  if  they  happen  to  possess  them, 
and  it  is  not  at  all  unusual  to  see  slippers  which  are 
quite  too  small  for  their  owners,  and  leave  some  of 
the  toes  dangling  helplessly  outside. 

If  one  excepts  the  cathedral  and  a few  of  the 
churches,  the  buildings  of  Manila  are  anything  but 
imposing.  In  fact,  there  is  little  encouragement  to 
construct  fine  edifices.  There  is  serious  danger  from 
earthquakes,  which  have  recurred  in  the  past  with  con- 
siderable regularity,  and  will  probably  continue  to  recur 
in  future.  Not  a year  passes  without  a number  of 
slight  shocks. 

The  most  destructive  earthquake  of  recent  times 
was  that  of  1863,  when  400  people  were  killed,  2000 
wounded,  and  46  public  buildings  together  with 
1100  private  houses  were  seriously  injured  or  com- 
pletely destroyed.  The  total  property  loss  was  esti- 
mated at  $8,000,000.  In  1880  much  damage  was  done 
to  buildings,  though  no  lives  were  lost.  Other  seri- 
ous earthquakes  have  occurred  in  1610,  1645,  1658, 
1675,  1699,  1796,  and  1852.  In  1645  nearly  all  the 
public  buildings  were  wrecked,  and  600  persons  killed. 

As  a result,  one  rarely  sees  buildings  more  than 
two  stories  high.  The  heavy  tile  roofs  formerly  in 
use  have  for  the  most  part  been  replaced  by  lighter 
roofs  of  galvanized  iron.  Glass  is  not  employed  to 
any  extent  in  windows,  its  place  being  taken  by  little 
squares  of  translucent  oyster-shell,  which  soften  the 


36 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


glare  of  the  tropical  sun  and  give  much  the  effect 
of  ground  glass.  The  sides  of  upper  stories  are 
often  constructed  almost  entirely  of  frames  filled  with 
these  conchas  and  so  arranged  that  they  can  be 
slid  back,  thus  throwing  the  rooms  wide  open  to  the 
breeze.  (See  page  311.) 

The  living-rooms  are  almost  invariably  in  the  sec- 
ond story,  the  ground  floor  being  used  for  servants’ 
quarters,  shops,  offices,  or  storerooms. 

The  streets  of  Manila  are  wretchedly  paved,  or  not 
paved  at  all.  In  1893  they  were  lighted  by  kerosene 
lamps,  sometimes  even  by  wicks  suspended  in  dishes 
of  cocoanut  oil.  There  were,  however,  a few  poor 
electric  arc-lights  along  the  river,  to  enable  steamers 
to  make  their  moorings  at  night. 

There  are  two  lines  of  street  cars,  one  running 
along  the  Escolta  and  out  through  the  residence  por- 
tion of  the  city  nearly  to  the  English  Club,  the  other 
extending  from  within  Old  Manila  across  the  Puente 
de  Espana,  up  the  Rosario,  and  so  out  to  the  suburbs. 
The  diminutive  cars  are  each  drawn  by  a single  pony, 
and  the  drivers  give  warning  of  their  approach  by 
tooting  on  small  tin  horns. 

The  Escolta  is  the  principal  business  street.  We 
found  there  many  Spanish  and  some  French  and  Ger- 
man stores,  with  fair  assortments  of  European  goods, 
but  prices  were  very  high  on  account  of  the  exces- 
sive import  duties.  Of  the  numerous  Chinese  shops 


MANILA 


37 


in  the  city  a few  are  on  the  Escolta,  but  the  greater 
number  are  on  neighbouring  streets.  The  Rosario  is 
lined  with  them  from  end  to  end,  to  the  exclusion 
of  everything  else.  The  variety  of  wares  offered  for 
sale  on  this  street  is  astonishing,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
best  places  in  the  city  to  see  the  common  people. 

Outside  of  the  shop  doors  are  the  native  wives  and 
often  the  children  of  their  owners.  The  boys  are  fre- 
quently in  Chinese  dress,  and  it  is  said  that  their 
fathers  often  send  them  to  China  to  be  educated.  The 
girls,  on  the  other  hand,  are  invariably  in  native  cos- 
tume. In  each  shop  there  are  several  Chinamen.  One 
keeps  accounts,  others  attend  to  customers.  One  often 
lies  in  wait  at  the  door  for  the  unwary  passer-by  and 
endeavours  to  beguile  him  inside. 

On  the  street  one  meets  natives  of  high  and  low 
degree,  Spanish  and  Chinese  mestizos  of  every  shade 
of  colour,  Spanish  seiioras  and  mestizos , sailors,  friars, 
coolies,  but  rarely  a white  man  not  a member  of  some 
religious  order.  The  Spanish  officials  and  foreign  resi- 
dents may  be  seen  on  the  Escolta,  but  not  to  any  great 
extent  on  the  Rosario. 

One  is  impressed  by  the  erect  carriage  of  the  native 
women,  which  arises  from  their  custom  of  walking  with 
objects  balanced  on  their  heads. 

Manila  is  entirely  without  any  adequate  system  of 
drainage.  Canals  radiate  from  the  Pasig  River  in 
various  directions,  and  into  these  the  filth  of  the  city 


38 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


is  washed  or  dumped,  if  indeed  it  is  not  allowed  to 
accumulate  about  the  houses.  In  the  quarter  called 
Tondo,  where  the  native  fishermen,  canoe-men,  and 
laundrymen  live,  the  ground  is  low,  and  the  surface 
water  does  not  run  off  readily,  but  gathers  in  putres- 
cent pools  under  the  huts  during  the  rainy  season. 
With  the  coming  on  of  the  dry  season,  stinking  black 
mud  is  uncovered  beneath  these  huts  and  in  the 
canals,  and  fever  follows. 

Fortunately  the  city  has  a system  of  water-works 
which  affords  a good  supply  of  fairly  pure  water  for 
drinking  and  cooking  purposes. 

There  are  some  fine  houses  and  beautiful  grounds 
in  the  residence  portion  of  New  Manila,  but  we  derived 
much  satisfaction  from  poking  around  the  back  streets. 
Here  the  Chinese  are  very  much  in  evidence.  One 
finds  them  serving  as  barbers,  carpenters,  cabinet- 
makers, tanners,  dyers,  cobblers,  tinsmiths,  copper- 
smiths, and  mechanics. 

Native  merchants  squat  in  the  doorways  or  walk 
the  streets  hawking  fruit,  bouquets,  articles  of  food  for 
the  coolies,  and  what  not;  but  the  most  common 
salutation  is  “ Billete,  sehov  ?”  as  a handful  of  lottery 
tickets  is  thrust  under  one’s  nose. 

The  Manila  lottery  is  a great  institution.  From  it 
the  government  derives  an  annual  profit  of  half  a 
million  dollars,  and  the  tickets  are  not  only  distributed 
throughout  the  islands  but  are  even  sent  over  to  Hong- 


MANILA 


39 


Kon£  and  sold  alonsr  the  China  coast.  It  fosters  the 

O O 

inborn  gambling  instinct  which  is  one  of  the  national 
characteristics  of  the  Philippine  native,  and  many  a 
poor  devil  spends  his  last  cent  for  lottery  tickets  and 
goes  to  jail  for  not  paying  his  taxes. 

In  Tondo  one  finds  the  genuine  native  houses,  with 
bamboo  frames  and  floors,  roofed  and  sided  with  nipa 
palm.  Destructive  fires  are  frequent  in  this  quarter. 
At  one  time  during  our  stay  it  was  said  that  7000 
huts  burned  within  the  space  of  two  hours. 

Our  sight-seeing  was,  for  the  first  few  days,  confined 
to  the  new  city.  Meanwhile  we  were  learning  more 
about  Manila  hotels.  Our  room  was  lighted  at  night 
by  a couple  of  tumblers  filled  with  cocoanut  oil,  into 
which  hung  pith  wicks,  held  by  wire  supporters. 
We  objected,  and  in  time  got  candles.  We  continued 
to  object,  and  were  finally  favoured  with  a dim  and 
sputtering  kerosene  lamp. 

The  early  morning  meal  was  a surprise  to  us.  It 
was  served  in  our  room,  and  consisted  of  bread,  very 
thick  chocolate,  and  a “ pair  ” of  eggs  pasado  por  agua. 
It  was  evident  that  the  water  must  have  been  very 
moderately  warm,  and  the  passage  of  the  eggs  through 
it  quite  expeditious ; for  they  were  to  all  intents  and 
purposes  raw,  slightly  heated,  to  be  sure,  but  with  the 
albumen  barely  flecked  with  white.  At  first  we  could 
hardly  swallow  them,  but  we  learned  to  like  them  in 
time.  They  were  at  least  easily  digested,  and  one’s 


40 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


digestion  should  be  treated  with  great  respect  in 
Manila,  especially  during  the  early  days  of  one’s  stay. 

After  a little  we  found  time  to  visit  Old  Manila,  or 
the  citadel  as  it  is  sometimes  called.  It  is  surrounded 
by  massive  walls,  some  two  and  a quarter  miles  in 
length.  They  were  built  about  1590.  Although  cracked 
in  several  places  by  earthquakes,  they  would  still  be 
serviceable  for  repelling  land  attacks  by  forces  not 
possessing  heavy  artillery,  but  they  could  not  resist 
the  action  of  modern  guns. 

The  walls  are  completely  surrounded  by  a moat 
which  is  supposed  to  be  filled  from  the  river.  The 
sluices  are  out  of  repair,  however,  and  the  moat  has 
not  been  cleaned  for  years.  It  is  half  full  of  mud  and 
filth,  its  waters  are  choked  with  putrescent  vegetable 
matter,  and  it  is  undoubtedly  a menace  to  the  health 
of  the  city ; yet  the  authorities  fear  to  disturb  it  lest 
they  breed  a pestilence. 

There  are  eight  city  gates,  and  eight  drawbridges 
span  the  moat.  It  seems  odd  enough  to  rumble  over 
a drawbridge  and  through  a gate  in  these  old  walls 
in  so  modern  a conveyance  as  a Philadelphia-made 
horse  car. 

The  character  of  the  artillery  defending  the  city  at 
the  time  of  our  visit  is  well  shown  in  the  illustration 
on  the  opposite  page.  The  old  bronze  cannon  on  rot- 
ting wooden  carriages  were  a menace  to  those  whose 
duty  it  was  to  fire  them,  but  to  no  one  else.  On 


MANILA 


4i 


A BIT  OF  THE  WALL  AND  MOAT  OF  OLD  MANILA.  ENTRANCE  TO  PASIG  RIVER  IN  LEFT  BACKGROUND 


42 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  ground  without  the  walls  were  two  modern  Krupp 
guns  of  heavy  calibre.  This  battery  has  since  been 
strengthened  by  the  accession  of  four  additional  modern 
guns. 

Old  Manila  lacks  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  the  new 
city,  and  impresses  one  as  a quiet,  sleepy  place.  Within 
its  walls  are  the  city  hall  and  a number  of  other  gov- 
ernment buildings,  a cathedral  and  eleven  churches, 
numerous  monasteries  belonging  to  various  religious 
orders,  the  palace  of  the  Archbishop,  and  the  Jesuit 
and  Dominican  colleges.  There  are  a few  stores, 
which  do  an  exclusively  retail  trade,  but  the  shops 
and  homes  of  the  common  people  are  comparatively 
infrequent. 

Extending  from  the  end  of  the  fortifications  for 
some  distance  along  the  bay  is  Manila’s  great  resort, 
the  Luneta.  It  is  a drive  and  promenade,  the  carriage 
road  enclosing  an  oval  piece  of  slightly  raised  ground, 
on  which  are  a couple  of  band-stands,  and  numerous 
chairs  and  benches  for  the  convenience  of  the  public. 
The  Luneta  is  deserted  by  day,  but  as  evening  draws 
near  is  thronged  by  a constantly  increasing  crowd, 
representing  every  class  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest. 
Fine  concerts  are  often  given  by  excellent  military 
bands,  composed  of  natives  but  drilled  by  Europeans. 
The  carriages  drive  in  endless  circles  around  the  prome- 
nade, all  taking  a direction  contrary  to  that  in  which 
the  hands  of  a watch  move.  Only  the  Governor-Gen- 


MANILA 


43 


eral  and  the  Archbishop  may  drive  in  the  opposite 
direction,  so  that  there  is  no  excuse  for  failing  to 
recognize  and  salute  them  as  they  pass.  Fine  music 
and  the  cool  breeze  from  the  bay  combine  to  make  the 
Luneta  a delightful  place  on  a pleasant  evening. 

But  I have  been  writing  of  the  Luneta  as  it  was  in 
time  of  peace.  Since  the  revolution  of  1896  it  has 
been  put  to  very  different  uses ; and  the  elite  of  Manila 
have  gathered  there,  not  to  hear  fine  music,  but  to 
applaud  while  droves  of  helpless  natives  were  lined  up 
on  the  sea-wall  and  shot  down  by  their  own  coun- 
trymen, at  the  command  of  Spanish  officers. 

On  our  first  visit  to  Manila,  Bourns  and  I had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  official  calls  and  the  annoyances  incident 
to  getting  our  contraband  goods  through  the  custom- 
house, as  we  did  not  know  enough  Spanish  to  be  of 
any  use.  The  matter  was  left  in  the  hands  of  Dr. 
Steere,  and  through  the  courtesy  of  Governor-Gen- 
eral Terrero  we  obtained  our  things  at  the  end  of  a 
week.  We  left  the  capital  at  once,  and  returned  a 
year  later  only  to  take  ship  for  home. 

We  never  expected  to  come  back,  and  thought  our- 
selves fortunate  to  have  escaped  once  for  all  the  annoy- 
ances incident  to  dealing:  with  Manila  officials  of  hig:h 
degree;  but  the  Fates  had  decreed  otherwise.  In 
1890  we  returned,  equipped  for  a long  expedition 
through  the  provinces.  Warned  by  certain  unfor- 

tunate experiences  on  our  first  trip,  we  had  arranged 


44 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


through  the  Department  of  State  for  an  order  covering 
our  case,  from  the  Spanish  Government  to  General  Wey- 
ler,  at  that  time  Governor-General  of  the  Philippines. 

At  Hong-Kong  we  learned  that  this  important  docu- 
ment had  not  come,  nor  could  we  ascertain  when  it 
would  be  likely  to  arrive.  The  American  consul 
strongly  advised  us  to  postpone  our  trip  to  Manila, 
as  he  had  reason  for  believing  that  trouble  was  brew- 
ing between  our  consul  at  that  place  and  the  Gov- 
ernor-General. We  determined  to  push  on,  however, 
and  reached  our  destination  on  the  morning  of  Sep- 
tember 7th. 

Things  move  slowly  in  Manila,  and  the  only  change 
we  could  detect  in  the  city  was  the  erection  of  a new 
and  rather  imposing  hotel,  which  at  first  promised,  and 
in  fact  furnished,  decent  accommodations.  It  ran  down 
so  rapidly,  however,  that  within  half  a year  we  had  to 
go  elsewhere  when  we  visited  the  capital. 

On  this  occasion  also  our  basfgasre  was  loaded  with 
contraband  goods.  It  contained  four  shotguns,  five 
rifles,  two  revolvers,  and  ammunition  galore.  We  ac- 
cordingly had  to  turn  diplomats  at  once,  as  we  were 
alone  and  there  was  no  one  to  help  us  out. 

The  American  consul  laughed  at  the  idea  of  serious 
trouble  with  Weyler,  and  at  once  despatched  a note 
to  him  announcing  our  arrival  and  requesting  him  to 
grant  us  gun-licenses  and  to  expedite  the  passage 
of  our  belongings  through  the  custom-house.  The 


MANILA 


45 


consul  had  great  faith  in  the  efficacy  of  his  request, 
and  we  were  at  first  inclined  to  share  his  cheerful  view 
of  the  situation. 

He  very  kindly  accompanied  us  on  a visit  to  the 
administrador  of  the  custom-house,  and  we  wakened 
that  gentleman  from  his  siesta,  having  long  since 
learned  that  in  dealing  with  Spanish  officials  we 
came  out  quite  as  well  if  we  pretended  to  some  im- 
portance ourselves.  Between  the  recommendations  of 
the  consul  and  our  own  tolerably  formidable  array  of 
documents  we  quite  overwhelmed  the  administrador. 
Our  credentials  were  liberally  decorated  with  expan- 
sive seals,  and  as  he  could  not  read  them,  their  import 
was  left  to  his  imagination. 

He  promised  to  come  down  to  the  custom-house  in 
half  an  hour  and  pass  all  of  our  luggage  except  the 
cases  containing  arms  and  ammunition,  and  rather  to 
our  amazement  he  kept  his  word. 

At  the  end  of  our  first  day  we  had  made  astonish- 
ing progress  and  were  delighted  with  our  success,  but 
our  joy  was  premature.  A week  passed,  and  the  con- 
sul received  no  reply  to  the  letter  sent  to  Weyler.  As 
it  had  been  delivered  at  the  palace  by  messenger,  it 
could  not  have  miscarried,  and  we  began  to  fear  that 
we  should  have  trouble.  At  last  we  lost  patience  and 
urged  the  consul  to  push  his  request.  He  forwarded 
to  Weyler  a copy  of  his  first  letter,  saying  that  he 
inferred  the  original  had  not  been  received.  This 


46 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


time  the  reply  was  prompt  enough.  It  stated  that 
it  would  afford  the  Governor-General  the  greatest 
pleasure  to  accede  to  the  request  of  the  distinguished 
consul  of  the  United  States,  but  unfortunately  the 
matter  lay  entirely  without  his  province , as  he  never 
interfered  in  the  affairs  of  the  custom-house.  We 
were  referred  to  the  Civil  Governor  of  Manila,  Sor. 
Perojo. 

The  communication  was  effusively  polite,  but  an 
English  official  of  similar  rank  would  perhaps  have 
expressed  the  same  idea  by  saying,  “The  Governor- 
General’s  compliments  to  the  American  consul  and  will 
he  kindly  go  to  — a warmer  place  than  the  Philippines.” 
It  was  quite  evident  that  Weyler  proposed  to  make  us 
trouble. 

The  consul  was  at  the  end  of  his  resources,  but 
when  we  realized  that  the  most  influential  man  but 
one  in  the  colony  was  against  us,  we  warmed  to  the 
fray.  We  had  been  referred  to  the  Civil  Governor, 
and  to  the  Civil  Governor  we  accordingly  went.  We 
found  him  busy  supervising  the  packing  of  his  things, 
preparatory  to  sailing  for  Spain  the  following  day. 
Our  array  of  documents  seemed  to  produce  some  im- 
pression on  him,  but  it  was  probably  to  get  rid  of  us 
that  he  scratched  off  what  purported  to  be  an  order 
to  the  administrador , and  armed  with  this  we  hastened 
to  the  custom-house,  congratulating  ourselves  on  our 
good  fortune. 


MANILA 


47 


The  administrador  glanced  hastily  through  the 
note,  and  was  just  directing  that  our  things  be  passed 
when  an  officious  clerk  called  his  attention  to  a word 
of  ten  letters  printed  on  one  corner  of  the  paper. 
That  word  was  “ Particular ,”  and  it  changed  what 
would  otherwise  have  been  an  order  to  a personal 
request,  not  worth  the  paper  it  had  been  written  on  ; 
for  the  administrador  knew  better  than  to  pass  two 
hundred  pounds  of  rifle  powder  at  the  request  of 
any  one.  He  seemed  rather  sorry  for  us,  however, 
and  assured  us  that  if  the  Civil  Governor  would  re- 
write that  communication  on  official  paper,  he  would 
gladly  release  our  things. 

We  hastened  back  to  the  home  of  Sor.  Perojo,  deter- 
mined to  ask  him  if  he  had  not  made  a mistake,  and 
met  him  just  leaving  to  call  on  the  Governor-General. 
He  said  it  was  a mistake,  and  his  secretary  would 
give  us  an  official  order.  The  secretary  did  not  see 
it  in  that  light,  however,  so  we  calmly  awaited  the 
Governor’s  return. 

By  the  time  he  got  back  he  had  discovered  that 
the  matter  lay  quite  outside  of  his  province,  and  could 
only  be  settled  by  the  Governor-General.  The  game 
seemed  to  be  going  against  us,  but  we  had  not  yet 
played  our  high  card.  Our  first  year  in  the  Philip- 
pines had  taught  us  who  really  governed  the  islands, 
and  before  our  departure  we  had  taken  the  wise  pre- 
caution of  procuring  a letter  from  a distinguished 


48 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Catholic  divine  to  the  Archbishop  of  Manila.  We 
realized  that  in  this  letter  lay  our  last  chance  of  avoid- 
ing serious  delay;  for,  if  we  could  not  secure  the  inter- 
vention of  the  Archbishop,  there  was  clearly  nothing 
for  it  but  to  camp  down  and  await  the  arrival  of  our 
long-delayed  order  from  Spain.  Visions  of  the  inter- 
ception of  the  order  in  the  Manila  post-office  rose 
before  us,  but  we  comforted  ourselves  with  the  reflec- 
tion that  if  worst  came  to  worst  there  was  yet  one 
way  of  influencing  Weyler.  It  was  a way  that  we  did 
not  wish  to  take,  but  we  felt  that  he  was  trying  to 
bring  us  to  it. 

As  our  letter  to  the  Archbishop  was  in  English, 
and  we  feared  that  our  rather  halting  Spanish  might 
hardly  prove  equal  to  the  task  of  interpreting  it  and 
pleading  our  cause,  we  began  to  cast  about  for  an 
interpreter;  and  hearing  pleasant  accounts  of  an  Eng- 
lish-speaking priest  at  the  Jesuit  college,  I went  over 
to  see  him.  He  was  at  class  when  I arrived,  and  I 
was  instead  introduced  to  the  professor  of  English. 

On  learning  my  business  in  the  islands,  he  invited  me 
to  inspect  the  college  museum,  which  I was  glad  to  do. 

I found  that  it  contained  a large  amount  of  interest- 
ing material  which  was  sadly  in  need  of  identification, 
as  the  padre  in  charge  had  been  hampered  by  lack  of 
literature.  When  he  found  that  I could  name  his 
birds  for  him,  his  joy  knew  no  bounds.  I managed  to 
convey  the  idea  that  I had  come  on  purpose  to  inspect 


MANILA 


49 


that  museum,  and  wanted  to  see  more  of  it.  It  was 
arranged  that  I should  return  with  Bourns  on  the 
following  day  and  work  over  the  specimens. 

We  were  on  time  to  the  minute,  and  put  in  a busy 
day.  At  its  close  the  padres  courteously  inquired  if 
there  was  not  something  they  could  do  for  us  in  return. 
We  assured  them  that  there  was  one  little  thing,  and 
told  them  about  our  letter  to  the  Archbishop.  They 
at  once  offered  to  translate  it  for  us,  but  we  called 
their  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  was  sealed  (it  had 
providentially  sealed  itself),  and  they  agreed  with  us 
that  it  would  hardly  be  the  thing  to  open  it.  We 
incidentally  learned  that  the  Archbishop  was  in  Spain. 
At  last  Padre  S.  offered  to  take  us  to  visit  the  gentle- 
man  who  was  officiating  in  his  stead,  if  we  would 
return  in  the  morning  with  a siiitable  turnout. 

We  spared  no  expense  on  that  rig,  and  it  was  a 
truly  imposing  affair,  but  when  we  reached  the  Jesuit 
college  we  discovered  that  there  was  a hitch  in  the 
proceedings.  Under  pretext  of  a knotty  problem  in 
identification  to  be  solved,  we  were  invited  up  to  the 
museum  once  more,  and  after  the  imaginary  difficulty 
was  disposed  of,  a little  round  table  appeared  from 
nowhere  in  particular.  Some  good  cigars  were  passed, 
and  we  were  invited  to  name  our  drinks.  We  chose  beer 
as  the  mildest  possible  tipple,  the  padres  protesting  that 
sherry  would  be  better,  but  we  knew  Spanish  sherry  too 
well,  and  insisted  on  our  first  choice. 


50 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  beer  appeared,  with  a supply  of  sherry  in  re- 
serve. As  I set  down  my  empty  mug,  Padre  S.  inverted 
a bottle  of  sherry  over  it,  and,  pouring  out  a similar 
deadly  dose  for  himself,  he  proposed  a health  which  I 
could  not  decline  to  drink. 

He  evidently  thought  that  the  fire-water  would  make 
me  speak  the  truth.  After  giving  it  some  fifteen 
minutes  to  work,  he  asked  me  very  directly  exactly 
what  I wanted  to  get  out  of  the  acting  Archbishop. 
I quite  frankly  told  him  of  our  predicament,  and 
added  that  we  desired  His  Grace  to  reqtiest  Weyler 
to  let  us  have  our  things  and  go  about  our  business. 
At  first  he  looked  very  sober,  shook  his  head,  and 
asked  if  I did  not  consider  myself  rather  young  to  be 
in  politics.  I held  out  stoutly,  however,  and  little 
by  little  he  softened.  I have  sometimes  thought  that 
the  sherry  might  have  warmed  the  cockles  of  his  kindly 
old  heart  a bit.  At  all  events,  he  finally  consented 
to  accompany  us,  and  so  well  did  he  do  his  part  that 
when  we  left  the  palace,  after  a very  pleasant  half- 
hour,  we  took  with  us  a personal  letter  from  the 
acting  Archbishop  to  Weyler,  “ requesting ” him  to  pass 
our  things. 

Resolved  to  lose  no  time,  we  dropped  Padre  S.  at 
the  college  and  started  at  once  for  the  Governor-Gen- 
eral’s  palace,  in  Malacanan,  although  we  knew  very 
well  that  it  was  “ mail-day,”  and  visitors  were  not  regu- 
larly received.  We  had  a very  definite  idea,  however, 


MANILA 


5i 


that  the  insignia  on  the  outside  of  that  envelope 
would  open  doors,  and  so  it  proved. 

Sentries  halted  us  at  a long  distance  from  the  palace. 
We  showed  them  our  letter  and  they  fell  back  and 
saluted.  At  the  entrance  to  the  grounds  we  were 
halted  again  with  the  same  result. 

We  entered  the  lower  story  of  the  palace,  but  were 
stopped  at  the  stairs.  We  presented  our  letter,  and, 
after  being  requested  to  wait  “ a little  minute,”  were 
ushered  upstairs  and  left  in  the  reception-room.  An 
officer  in  the  uniform  of  a general  came  wandering 
along,  and,  catching  sight  of  us,  conceived  it  to  be 
his  duty  to  get  rid  of  us.  He  told  us  it  was  mail-day. 
We  tried  to  look  surprised.  Then  he  said  the  Gov- 
ernor-General was  ill.  We  asked  when  we  could  see 
him,  and  were  informed  “next  week.”  We  requested 
the  return  of  our  letter,  so  that  we  might  again  gain 
entrance.  “ Impossible.”  We  were  very  politely  in- 
formed that  we  might  take  our  departure  whenever 
we  felt  inclined  to  do  so,  but  our  knowledge  of  Spanish 
suddenly  failed  us  and  we  refused  to  understand. 

The  officer  hardly  knew  whether  to  be  angry  or 
amused.  We  felt  certain  that  he  was  acting  entirely 
on  his  own  responsibility,  and  when  he  finally  with- 
drew to  consult  his  superior  we  rather  expected  a 
change  in  his  demeanour.  It  came.  With  many  apol- 
ogies, he  begged  that  we  would  have  the  condescen- 
sion to  resume  our  seats.  We  did  so,  and  in  a moment 


52 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


were  summoned  to  Weyler’s  presence.  He  is  naturally 
far  from  imposing,  and  on  this  occasion,  dressed  in  a 
dirty  linen  suit,  and  with  both  ears  full  of  cotton,  he 
looked  decidedly  commonplace. 

He  excused  himself  for  having  kept  us  waiting  on 
the  ground  that  it  was  not  his  regular  day  to  receive 
visitors  and  that  he  was  both  busy  and  ill.  It  evi- 
dently caused  him  a severe  effort  to  swallow  his  own 
words.  He  said  that,  as  he  had  already  informed  the 
consul,  he  had  no  real  authority  in  the  matter  under 
consideration,  and  the  custom-house  officials  might  not 
like  his  interference,  but  he  was  going  to  “ request  ” 
them  to  pass  our  things.  He  added  that  a gun-license 
of  the  first  class  could  be  legally  issued  only  to  a Spanish 
subject,  but  that  out  of  regard  for  his  friend  the  acting 
Archbishop  he  would  make  an  exception  in  our  case. 

Our  business  disposed  of,  we  bowed  ourselves  out 
and  returned  to  our  room  at  the  Hotel  de  Oriente, 
where  we  were  quietly  celebrating  our  good  fortune 
when  there  came  a rap  at  the  door.  On  opening  it 
we  discovered  a Spanish  officer  in  full  uniform.  He 
saluted  with  great  respect,  and  presented  us  with  a 
large  envelope  on  the  outside  of  which  was  a state- 
ment that  the  Governor-General’s  secretary  kissed  our 
hands.  We  could  not  see  why  he  should,  and  opened 
the  envelope  to  find  out. 

It  contained  a very  courteous  note,  stating  that 
after  our  departure  it  had  occurred  to  Weyler  that  we 


MANILA 


53 


OUTSKIRTS  OF  NEW  MANILA,  FROM  A WINDOW  IN  THE  HOTEL  DE  ORIENTE 


54 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


might  find  an  order  from  him  to  the  governors  of 
provinces  useful : if  we  would  send  a list  of  the  locali- 
ties we  expected  to  visit,  he  would  gladly  give  us  such 
an  order.  We  sent  the  list. 

We  were  at  a loss  to  understand  what  was  at  the 
bottom  of  this  change  of  heart  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy,  so  sent  for  a native  clerk  at  the  secretariat 
whom  we  had  employed  in  the  past  to  find  passports. 
These  valuable  documents  are  very  apt  to  get  “ lost  ” 
at  Manila,  and  to  remain  so  until  it  is  made  worth 
the  while  of  some  one  to  find  them.  This  native  had 
proved  himself  able  to  locate  ours  promptly,  and  we 
thought  he  might  throw  some  light  on  the  existing 
situation.  We  asked  him  what  had  happened  that 
Weyler  was  offering  to  do  us  favours,  when  but  half  a 
day  before  we  had  been  compelled  to  bring  pressure 
to  bear  on  him  in  order  to  secure  decent  treatment. 
“Do  you  not  know,  then?”  asked  Juan.  We  reiterated 
the  fact  that  we  did  not.  “ Royal  Order  covering  your 
case  arrived  this  noon,  and  you  will  have  no  more 
trouble,”  said  Juan.  He  was  right. 

We  soon  received  from  Weyler  a communication 
addressed  to  governors  of  provinces,  directing  them  to 
furnish  whatever  assistance  we  might  need.  The  act- 
ing Archbishop  very  kindly  sent  us  a letter  of  recom- 
mendation to  the  parish  priests  throughout  the  islands. 
The  Jesuits  gave  us  personal  letters  to  the  priests  of 
their  mission  in  the  Moro  country,  and  for  the  next 


MANILA 


55 


two  and  a half  years  every  facility  for  travel  and  ob- 
servation that  the  colony  afforded  was  at  our  disposal. 

I am  very  glad  to  testify  that  with  two  or  three 
unimportant  exceptions  we  were  treated  with  uniform 
courtesy,  and  in  not  a few  cases  with  very  great 
kindness. 

Armed  with  an  explicit  order  from  Weyler,  it  still 
took  us  several  days  of  steady  work  to  get  our  things. 
We  had  to  find  a horde  of  minor  officials.  First  it 
was 'the  comcindante  of  the  guard ia  civil;  then  the 
new  Civil  Governor;  then  two  other  officials  whose 
rank  I forget.  Then  came  the  custom-house,  with 
every  one  from  the  administrador  down  to  be  satisfied 
that  we  did  not  mean  to  start  a revolution,  or  blow  up 
the  palace,  and  that  we  really  had  Weyler’s  order. 

Even  after  our  things  had  been  passed  we  were  not 
allowed  to  remove  them  without  the  consent  of  the 
lieutenant  in  command  of  the  custom-house  guards  for 
the  day,  who  was  taking  his  siesta  in  a distant  part  of 
the  city.  I drove  to  his  quarters  and  called  him  out. 
He  was  angry  at  being  awakened,  and  refused  to  budge 
without  an  order  from  the  co77iandante  of  the  guardia 
civil.  To  the  co77ia7ida7ite  I went  once  more,  and  the 
order  with  which  I returned  brought  that  young  lieu- 
tenant to  his  right  mind  very  promptly.  He  apolo- 
gized all  the  way  to  the  custom-house,  and  we  were 
shortly  in  possession  of  our  guns  and  powder.  We  pro- 
ceeded to  take  them  out  of  town  without  loss  of  time. 


56 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


So  it  has  happened  that  I have  twice  journeyed 
through  the  Philippine  archipelago,  once  as  a private 
individual,  and  once  with  the  strongest  official  recom- 
mendations. As  a result  it  has  been  my  lot  to  see 
two  very  different  sides  of  Spanish  character,  and,  as 
either  view  would  be  incomplete  without  the  other,  I 
am  glad  to  have  had  both. 

Since  we  visited  many  of  the  islands  twice,  and 
followed  very  different  routes  on  our  two  trips,  I shall 
not  attempt  always  to  keep  events  in  their  actual 
secpience,  but  shall  rather  describe  the  various  islands, 
and  our  experiences  in  each  of  them,  in  the  order  which 
I find  most  convenient,  prefacing  what  I have  to  say 
with  a brief  account  of  the  archipelago  as  a whole. 


CHAPTER  III 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ARCHIPELAGO 

The  average  traveller  who  wishes  to  see  the  Philip- 
pines contents  himself  with  visiting  Manila,  and  taking 
a few  trips  into  the  interior  of  Luzon.  Occasionally 
a more  ambitious  tourist  runs  down  to  Ilo  Ilo  and 
Cebu,  and  makes  a few  excursions  into  the  country 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  these  cities,  going  his  way  at 
last  with  the  feeling  that  he  has  pretty  well  exhausted 
the  sights  of  the  archipelago.  Nothing  could  be  further 
from  the  truth. 

The  population  of  the  Philippines  is  roughly  esti- 
mated at  about  8,000,000.  Of  the  natives,  who  form 
the  bulk  -of  it,  there  are  more  than  eighty  distinct 
tribes,  each  with  its  own  peculiarities.  They  are  scat- 
tered over  hundreds  of  islands,  and  one  who  would 
really  learn  to  know  something  of  the  country  and  its 
people  must  travel  widely.  More  than  that,  he  must 
leave  cities  and  towns  behind,  and  turning  from  the 
beaten  path,  push  into  the  almost  unexplored  regions 
where  the  wild  tribes  are  to  be  found. 

In  the  study  of  these  primitive  peoples,  and  in  the 
wonders  of  the  tropical  forest,  he  will  find  enough 


57 


58 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


that  is  strange  to  satisfy  his  longing  for  novelty ; 
enough  that  is  grand  and  beautiful  to  repay  him  for 
the  risks  he  may  be  called  upon  to  face  and  the  hard- 
ships he  will  certainly  be  forced  to  undergo. 

Lines  of  mail  and  merchant  steamers  afford  tolerably 
frequent  communication  between  the  more  important 
islands  of  the  group.  The  difficulties  begin  when  one 
attempts  to  make  his  way  into  the  interior  of  the  larger 
and  less  explored  islands,  or  desires  to  reach  ports  at 
which  vessels  do  not  call.  I have  not  infrequently 
been  compelled  to  skirt  the  coast,  or  go  from  island 
to  island,  in  native  sail-boats,  which  answered  my  pur- 
pose very  well  in  fair  weather,  but  proved  wet  and 
unsafe  in  a heavy  sea. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  larger  towns  one  occasionally 
finds  what  purports  to  be  a carriage  road.  In  the  rainy 
season  it  is  sure  to  be  impassable,  while  even  in  the 
dry  months  one  is  likely  to  be  brought  to  a sudden 
stop  by  a ruined  bamboo  bridge  or  a washout  that 
has  never  been  repaired. 

Many  of  the  paths  which  by  courtesy  are  called  roads 
are  reduced  to  ditches,  pools,  and  sloughs  during  the 
rains,  and  are  utterly  impracticable  for  a man  on  horse- 
back, while  there  are  plenty  of  “ roads  ” on  which  a 
horse  is  worse  than  useless  at  any  time.  Although  the 
lack  of  bridges  is,  of  course,  not  so  serious  a matter 
for  a rider  as  for  one  who  attempts  to  drive,  it  is  not 
at  all  uncommon  to  encounter  streams  too  deep  and 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


59 


BAMBOO  BRIDGE  AND  COCOANUT  GROVE  — LUZON 


6o 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


swift  for  fording  or  swimming.  Even  in  crossing  forda- 
ble streams  one  needs  to  exercise  care,  for  they  are 
sometimes  infested  by  man-eating  crocodiles. 

One  occasionally  finds  a rude  ferry-boat,  made  by 
building  a platform  on  a couple  of  canoes.  Dr.  Bourns 
once  attempted  to  cross  the  mouth  of  a river  in  Min- 
doro on  a contrivance  of  this  sort.  A light  breeze  was 
blowing  from  the  sea,  and  the  water  lapped  over  the 
edge  of  the  outside  canoe  until  it  filled  and  sank,  pre- 
cipitating horse,  rider,  ferryman,  and  luggage  into  the 
river. 

The  water-buffalo,  called  by  the  natives  carabao , will 
go  where  a horse  cannot,  but  he  is  a most  uncomfort- 
able brute  to  ride,  and  has  certain  peculiarities  of  dis- 
position which  make  him  a rather  unreliable  means  of 
conveyance.  He  has  an  inborn  prejudice  against  white 
men,  and  the  smell  of  one  is  sometimes  enough  to 
stampede  all  the  buffaloes  in  a village.  The  worst 
trouble  with  him  is  that  he  absolutely  declines  to  work 
in  the  middle  of  the  day  if  the  sun  is  hot.  When  one 
urges  him  against  his  inclination,  an  impromptu  mud- 
bath  is  likely  to  result ; for  sooner  or  later  he  will  get 
his  eye  on  a tempting  slough,  and  into  it  he  will  go, 
regardless  of  what  happens  to  be  attached  to  him  or 
on  his  back. 

All  in  all,  it  is  usually  easier  to  walk  than  to  ride 
a buffalo,  and  if  one  really  cares  to  penetrate  into  the 
wilder  islands,  he  will,  in  any  event,  soon  find  himself 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


61 


where  even  a carabao  cannot  go.  It  is  safe  to  lay 
down  the  rule  that  one  should  always  go  by  water 
when  quiet  seas  or  conveniently  situated  rivers  make 
it  possible  to  do  so ; by  carriage  or  on  horseback  when 
roads  will  allow;  buffalo-back  or  on  foot  when  there 
is  no  other  way. 

One’s  baggage  must  be  planned  so  that  it  can  be 
borne  on  men’s  backs,  or  suspended  on  poles  between 
pairs  of  carriers,  unless  one  would  part  company  with 
it;  for  while  it  can  ordinarily  be  dragged  along  in 
sledges  by  the  slow-plodding  carabao , sooner  or  later 
one  is  sure  to  come  to  a place  where  it  must  be  car- 
ried by  coolies  or  left  behind. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  make  a general  statement 
as  to  the  best  season  for  a trip  through  the  provinces, 
for  this  varies  with  the  locality  to  be  visited.  The 
Spaniards  epigrammatically  describe  the  seasons  as 
consisting  of  “ seis  meses  de  polvo , seis  meses  de  lodo,  seis 
meses  de  todo  ” (six  months  of  dust,  six  months  of  mud, 
six  months  of  everything),  but  when  it  is  dusty  in  one 
place  it  may  be  muddy  in  another.  While  we  were  in 
Marinduque,  in  May,  1888,  the  ground  was  so  parched 
that  one  could  thrust  a hand  into  the  cracks,  yet  we 
looked  just  across  the  strait  to  Mindoro  and  watched 
the  storm-clouds  gather  and  burst  day  after  day. 

The  whole  archipelago  down  to  io°  north  latitude 
is  affected  by  trade-winds.  The  southwest  monsoon 
begins  to  make  itself  felt  in  April  or  May,  and  blows 


62 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


for  about  five  months ; then  comes  a period  of  variable 
winds  and  calms,  followed  by  the  setting  in  of  the 
northeast  monsoon. 

The  southwest  winds  usually  bring  the  rains,  but  a 
high  range  of  mountains  may  make  weeks  of  difference 
in  the  beginning  of  the  wet  season.  On  the  Pacific 
coasts  of  the  eastern  islands  it  comes  with  the  wind 
in  the  northeast.  By  moving  from  place  to  place, 
we  once  contrived  to  dodge  the  rains  through  an 
entire  year. 

Rivers  often  overflow  their  banks  during  the  wet 
season,  and  extensive  areas  in  some  of  the  islands 
become  submerged ; but  floods  are  much  less  feared 
than  are  the  terrific  revolving  storms  of  wind  and  rain 
known  as  typhoons.  They,  fortunately,  seldom  occur 
below  90  north  latitude,  but  they  often  cause  immense 
damage  to  property,  as  well  as  serious  loss  of  life  in 
the  portion  of  the  archipelago  lying  in  their  track. 

The  approach  of  a typhoon  is  heralded  hours  before 
its  arrival  by  a sudden  and  considerable  fall  of  the 
barometer,  while,  if  the  centre  of  the  storm  passes 
at  all  near  the  point  of  observation,  the  mercury  jumps 
up  and  down  in  a way  that  is  far  from  reassuring.  The 
force  of  the  wind  is  well-nigh  incredible.  Huge  trees 
are  uprooted ; houses  are  unroofed,  or  carried  away 
bodily,  and  the  stanchest  ship  is  in  deadly  peril  if  it 
cannot  keep  clear  of  the  terrible  cross-seas  at  the  vortex 
of  the  storm.  It  is  not  unusual  to  see  the  ribs  of  a 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


63 


sailing-vessel  bleaching  far  inland  in  some  paddy-field, 
and  one  naturally  wonders  whether  there  has  been  a 
repetition  of  Robinson  Crusoe’s  exploit  with  his  big 
boat.  The  real  explanation  is  that  the  terrible  wind 
of  a typhoon  has  combined  with  an  incoming  tide  to 
heap  the  waters  up  on  shore,  and  the  vessel  has  been 
stranded  where  no  one  would  believe  the  sea  could 
ever  have  reached. 

The  Philippines  extend  from  40  45'  to  210  north 
latitude.  Lying,  as  they  do,  wholly  within  the  tropics, 
a hot  climate  is  to  be  expected ; and  since  they  extend 
through  some  sixteen  degrees  of  latitude  it  necessarily 
follows  that  the  intensity  of  the  heat  varies  consider- 
ably in  different  parts  of  the  group.  No  one  city  can 
be  taken  as  typical  of  the  archipelago ; but  as  the  only 
place  where  careful  and  continuous  temperature  records 
have  been  kept  is  the  Jesuit  observatory  at  Manila,  I 
shall  be  forced  to  content  myself  with  the  statistics 
gathered  at  this  point. 

One  hears  such  contradictory  reports  as  to  the  cli- 
mate of  the  capital  that  it  is  a satisfaction  to  fall  back 
on  reliable  figures.  The  temperature  records  which 
follow  are  obtained  by  averaging  the  results  of  obser- 
vations extending  over  a period  of  thirteen  years. 

The  mean  annual  temperature  at  Manila  is  8o° 
Fahrenheit.  The  thermometer  almost  never  rises  above 
ioo°  in  the  shade,  nor  does  it  fall  below  6o°.  There 
is  no  month  in  the  year  during  which  it  does  not  rise 


64 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


as  high  as  9 1 °,  while  the  mean  monthly  temperatures 
are  as  follows:  January  770,  February  78°,  March  8i°, 
April  83°,  May  84°,  June  82°,  July  8i°,  August  8i°, 
September  8i°,  October  8o°,  November  790,  Decem- 
ber 770. 

With  a mean  temperature  for  the  year  of  8o°,  falling 
to  only  770  in  the  coolest  months,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  climate  of  Manila  leaves  something  to  be  desired, 
especially  when  one  remembers  that  during  much  of 
the  time  the  air  is  heavily  charged  with  moisture,  which 
makes  the  heat  doubly  trying. 

In  December,  January,  and  February  the  nights  are 
usually  fairly  cool,  but  during  the  hot  season  one  gets 
little  relief  from  one  week’s  end  to  another. 

Malaria  is  very  prevalent  in  some  of  the  islands, 
notably  in  Mindoro,  Balabac,  and  portions  of  Palawan, 
Mindanao,  and  Luzon,  but  there  are  many  localities 
entirely  free  from  it. 

Numerous  contradictory  statements  have  recently  ap- 
peared as  to  the  climate  and  its  effect  on  white  men. 
One  author  calls  it  “lovely  another  is  equally  positive 
that  it  is  “ deadly  ” ; a third  assures  us  that  “ for  a tropical 
climate  that  of  the  islands  may  be  considered  healthful 
for  people  of  the  white  race”;  while  a fourth  asserts  that 
“ the  climate  of  the  Philippines  is  particularly  severe  and 
unhealthy,”  and  backs  his  assertion  by  showing  that  it 
killed  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the  Spanish  troops,  sent 
out  in  1896,  within  fifteen  months  of  their  arrival. 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


65 


With  the  exception  of  the  first,  all  are  right,  but 
I confess  that  I cannot  see  how  any  one  can  honestly 
use  the  word  “ lovely  ” in  this  connection.  There  are 
some  localities  in  which  it  might  perhaps  apply  during 
two  or  three  months  of  the  twelve,  although  I have 
never  yet  experienced,  at  sea-level,  a day  when  a white 
man  could  endure  severe  physical  exertion  without 
suffering  from  the  heat. 

Briefly  stated,  the  facts  are  as  follows : if  one  is  per- 
manently situated  in  a good  locality,  where  he  can 
secure  suitable  food  and  good  drinking  water;  if  he 
is  scrupulously  careful  as  to  his  diet,  avoids  excesses 
of  all  kinds,  keeps  out  of  the  sun  in  the  middle  of 
the  day,  and  refrains  from  severe  and  long-continued 
physical  exertion,  — he  is  likely  to  remain  well,  always 
supposing  that  he  is  fortunate  enough  to  escape  mala- 
rial infection.  I knew  an  old  Spaniard  who  at  the 
end  of  a residence  of  thirty-nine  years  in  the  Philip- 
pines was  able  to  boast  that  he  had  not  been  ill  a day. 
He  had  always  been  so  situated  that  he  could  take 
care  of  himself,  and  had  done  it. 

But  how  is  it  with  the  explorer,  the  engineer,  the 
man  who  would  fell  timber,  cultivate  new  ground,  or 
in  some  other  way  develop  the  latent  resources  of  the 
country  ? That,  as  Mr.  Kipling  so  often  remarks,  is 
another  story.  It  is  likewise  a very  different  story, 
and  after  travelling  in  the  provinces  for  three  and  a 
half  years  I think  I may  fairly  claim  to  know  it. 


66 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Any  one  really  exposed  to  the  climate,  under  such 
circumstances,  will  find  it  severe.  He  cannot  humour 
his  digestive  apparatus;  for  his  bill  of  fare  will  be 
limited  to  what  he  can  carry  and  what  the  country 
affords,  and  he  will  be  fortunate  indeed  if  sooner  or 
later  he  does  not  suffer  severely  from  bowel  troubles. 
He  will  be  more  than  fortunate  if  he  escapes  malaria, 
which  is  especially  prevalent  where  forest  land  is  being 
cleared  or  new  ground  broken.  It  is  often  very  bad 
near  paddy-fields  during  the  dry  season. 

Our  work  sometimes  made  it  necessary  for  us  to 
visit  localities  where  fever  was  known  to  be  prevalent, 
and  we  came  to  look  upon  it  as  one  of  the  necessary 
evils  of  existence.  A temperature  of  106.5°  was  not 
comfortable,  but  it  did  not  occasion  us  any  alarm.  After 
our  third  trip  to  Mindoro  the  temperature  of  one  mem- 
ber of  our  party  touched  that  mark  on  ten  successive 
days ; and  I may  add  that  although  I have  visited  Min- 
doro three  times  with  other  white  men,  and  have  each 
time  had  considerable  numbers  of  natives  in  my  employ, 
I have  never  yet  escaped  malaria,  nor  was  any  other 
member  of  our  party,  white  or  native,  more  fortunate. 

The  traveller  soon  learns  to  recognize  several  types 
of  fever:  one  recurs  every  third  day,  another  every 
second  day,  and  a third  daily.  If  promptly  and  ener- 
getically taken  in  hand,  any  of  these  may  be  shaken 
off,  but  the  much-dreaded  calentura  perniciosa  is  a very 
malignant  disease,  running  its  course  in  a few  hours, 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


67 


and  frequently  terminating  with  black  vomit  and  death. 
Fortunately,  “ la  perniciosa  ” is  very  local  in  its  occur- 
rence, and  the  places  where  it  is  known  to  exist  are 
shunned  by  natives  and  whites  alike. 

It  has  been  shown  in  a number  of  instances  that 
malaria  was  due  to  causes  that  could  be  remedied. 
Before  the  time  of  General  Arolas,  Sulu  was  a fever- 
centre.  By  improving  the  drainage  of  the  town,  and 
by  filling  in  low  places  with  coral  sand,  he  succeeded 
in  almost  completely  stamping  out  the  disease.  Still 
more  striking  results  were  obtained  at  Tataan,  in 
Tawi  Tawi,  by  an  officer  who  had  worked  under  Gen- 
eral Arolas  in  Sulu.  The  garrison  at  this  point  had 
suffered  terribly,  and  two  governors  had  died  there, 
but  after  the  forest  was  cleared  away  for  half  a mile 
around  the  blockhouse,  and  the  ground  thoroughly 
cleaned  up,  fever  almost  completely  disappeared. 

It  is  unfortunately  true  that  the  climate  of  the 
Philippines  is  especially  severe  in  its  effect  on  white 
women  and  children.  It  is  very  doubtful,  in  my  judg- 
ment, if  many  successive  generations  of  European  or 
American  children  could  be  reared  there. 

We  must  then,  I think,  necessarily  admit  that  we 
have  here  a serious,  though  not  necessarily  insur- 
mountable, obstacle  to  the  development  of  the  great 
resources  of  this  remarkable  country. 

Malaria  and  digestive  troubles  aside,  the  health  of 
the  colony  is  fairly  good,  and  the  danger  from  epidemic 


68 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


disease  is  comparatively  slight.  Smallpox  is  always 
present,  but  it  seldom  spreads  rapidly,  as  a large  per- 
centage of  the  natives  have  it  during  childhood,  so 
that  there  is  hardly  material  for  an  epidemic.  Cholera 
is  infrequent,  but  when  it  once  starts  cannot  be  con- 
trolled. The  natives  believe  that  a black  dog  runs 
down  the  street,  and  the  disease  breaks  out  behind 
him.  They  declare  that  it  is  the  will  of  God,  and 
refuse  to  take  the  simplest  precautions. 

Leprosy  occurs,  but  is  not  common.  There  is  a 
great  deal  of  biri-biri  in  Balabac,  and  I have  seen  it  in 
Mindoro.  The  bubonic  plague  has,  fortunately,  never 
gained  a hold  in  the  Philippines. 

Considerable  misapprehension  exists  as  to  the  num- 
ber of  islands  in  the  archipelago,  which  has  been 
given  all  the  way  from  600  to  2000.  The  latter  esti- 
mate is  ridiculous,  unless  the  Caroline  and  Ladrone 
groups  are  included  with  the  Philippines  proper.  If 
they  are  excluded,  as  they  should  be,  the  number  of 
islands  remaining  can  hardly  exceed  1 200,  even  if 
every  uninhabitable  rock  and  sand-spit  that  projects 
above  sea-level  be  reckoned  in. 

The  following  is  a list  of  the  more  important  islands, 
with  their  approximate  areas  in  square  miles. 

Luzon  . . 41,000  Palawan  . . 4150  Cebu  . . . 1650 

Mindanao  . 37,500  Mindoro  . . 4050  Masbate  . . 1315 

Samar  . . 5300  Leyte  . . . 3090  Bohol  . . . 925 

Panay  . . 4600  Negros . . . 2300  Catanduanes  . 450 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


69 


The  following  islands  have  areas  ranging  from  about 
100  to  250  square  miles:  Basilan,  Busuanga,  Culion, 
Marinduque,  Tablas,  Dinagat,  Sulu,  Guimaras,  Tawi 
Tawi,  Siquijor,  Balabac,  Sibuyan,  Panaon,  Camiguin, 
Romblon,  Ticao,  Burias,  Biliran,  Siargao,  and  Polillo. 

The  figures  above  given  are  taken  from  Spanish  offi- 
cial estimates,  but  are  doubtless  in  many  cases  far  from 
accurate.  In  fact,  the  whole  Pacific  coast  of  Luzon, 
Samar,  Leyte,  and  Mindanao  is  so  imperfectly  known 
that  an  accurate  statement  of  their  extent  cannot  be  made. 

The  total  land  area  is  approximately  114,000  square 
miles,  Luzon  and  Mindanao  including  more  than  half 
of  it. 

One  sees,  almost  everywhere,  evidences  of  the  ac- 
tion of  earthquakes  and  volcanoes.  Elevation  and 
subsidence  are  going  on  with  great  rapidity  at  the 
present  time.  It  is  not  unusual  to  have  a native  as- 
sure one  that  he  now  fishes  where  his  grandfather 
used  to  live,  or  vice  versa.  Some  of  the  islands,  like 
Cebu,  are  covered  with  limestone  caps,  and  give  indis- 
putable evidence  of  having  been  heaved  up  from  be- 
neath the  sea;  while  in  other  parts  of  the  archipelago 
extinct  volcanoes,  sulfateras , old  lava-beds,  and  boiling 
springs  afford  mute  witness  to  the  state  of  things 
which  must  have  existed  in  the  past. 

But  not  all  of  the  volcanoes  are  extinct.  Of  the 
active  peaks  by  far  the  most  beautiful  is  the  Mayon. 
(See  frontispiece.)  It  is  an  absolutely  perfect  cone 


70 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


some  8900  feet  in  height,1  and  is  in  a state  of  con- 
stant activity,  its  last  destructive  eruption  having  taken 
place  in  1888.  Apo,  in  Mindanao,  with  an  estimated 
height  of  10,312  feet,  heads  the  list  for  size,  while 
Canloon  or  Malaspina,  in  Negros,  measuring  8192  feet, 
is  not  far  behind  Mayon. 

Taal  holds  the  record  for  damage  done  within  his- 
toric times.  It  has  repeatedly  been  in  destructive 
eruption  within  the  past  two  centuries,  and  is  still 
smouldering.  With  a height  of  but  about  900  feet,  it 
is  one  of  the  lowest  volcanoes  in  the  world.  It  lies  in 
the  midst  of  a fresh-water  lake,  and  has  the  form  of  a 
very  much  truncated  cone,  its  entire  top  having  been 
blown  off  by  a terrific  explosion  at  the  time  of  the  last 
great  eruption. 

Other  active  volcanoes  are  found  in  Mindanao,  Cami- 
guin,  Luzon,  and  the  islands  between  Luzon  and  Formosa. 

One  would  expect  frequent  earthquakes  within  this 
area,  and  as  has  been  already  stated,  they  do  occur. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  there  are  few  signs  of  past 
volcanic  action  in  the  Palawan  group,  and  that  earth- 
quakes are  unknown  there.  Moderately  high  moun- 
tains are  found  in  all  the  larger  islands,  and  some  of 
the  more  important  peaks  are  the  following:  — 

Mt.  Halcon,  Mindoro  . 8865  feet.  Giting  Giting,  Sibuyan  6424  feet. 

San  Cristobal,  Luzon  . 7375  “ Cuernos  de  Negros  . 6244  “ 

Isarog,  Luzon  . . . 6424  “ Banajao,  Luzon . . . 7333  “ 

1 Heights  of  mountains  taken  from  British  Admiralty  charts. 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


7 1 


The  non-volcanic  mountains  are,  for  the  most  part, 
entirely  clothed  with  vegetation.  The  summit  of  Mt. 
Halcon  is  bare,  while  Giting  Citing  looks  as  if  it 
might  have  been  miraculously  transported  to  the  Phil- 
ippines from  the  American  Rockies.  The  peaks  of 
northern  Palawan  are  also  very  rugged. 

Luzon  and  Mindanao  have  fresh-water  lakes  and 
rivers  of  considerable  size.  The  navigation  of  the 
large  streams  is  greatly  impeded  by  shifting  sand-bars 
at  their  mouths,  so  that  vessels  drawing  more  than 
ten  or  eleven  feet  cannot  safely  enter  them. 

There  is  one  small  lake  in  Mindoro,  and  there  is 
said  to  be  another  in  northern  Palawan,  communicat- 
ing with  the  sea  by  a subterranean  river. 

Vast  areas  in  many  of  the  islands  are  still  covered 
with  magnificent  virgin  forest,  but  the  denudation  of 
the  country  is  going  on  steadily,  though  not  rapidly. 
When  a native  wishes  to  start  a farm,  he  clears  away 
the  trees  on  a tract  of  the  desired  size,  burns  them, 
and  cultivates  the  ground  thus  laid  bare.  Sooner  or 
later  his  plantation  is  invaded  by  a tall  rank  grass, 
known  as  cogon.  With  the  simple  implements  at  his 
disposal  he  cannot  kill  out  this  strong-growing  pest, 
so  he  abandons  his  ground  and  clears  more.  When 
the  cogon  once  gets  a hold,  nothing  else  can  compete 
with  it,  and  the  result  is  that  great  areas,  known  as 
cogonales , are  overgrown  with  this  almost  useless 
grass.  I say  almost  useless  because  it  serves  fairly 


72 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


well  for  thatch,  and  its  coarse  stems  are  sometimes 
used  for  making  a fire  to  cook  by. 

At  the  close  of  the  dry  season  the  natives  often  burn 
over  the  cogonalcs,  and  cattle  and  horses  feed  greedily 
on  the  fresh  green  shoots,  which  spring  up  as  soon 
as  the  first  showers  break  the  drought. 


PRIMITIVE  AGRICULTURE  — LUZON 

The  soil  of  many  of  the  islands  is  astonishingly  fer- 
tile. Year  after  year  crops  are  taken  from  the  same 
piece  of  ground,  without  thought  of  enriching  it  arti- 
ficially. The  productive  area  is  by  no  means  limited 
to  the  valleys  and  bottom-lands.  Some  of  the  most 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


73 


valuable  crops  grow  particularly  well  on  the  mountain- 
sides. 

At  present  the  most  important  agricultural  products 
are  sugar,  abaca  or  Manila  hemp,  tobacco,  rice,  coffee, 
maize,  cacao , yams,  cocoanuts,  and  bananas. 

Various  attempts  to  grow  abaca  have  been  made  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  but  with  one  exception  they 
have  failed.  Cacao , from  which  chocolate  is  obtained, 
was  introduced  from  Central  America.  It  produces 
beans  of  excellent  quality.  The  guava,  which  was  also 
introduced  from  tropical  America,  has  spread  over  the 
whole  archipelago,  probably  by  the  agency  of  birds, 
which  devour  the  fruit  greedily,  and  scatter  the  seeds. 
Long-staple  cotton  was  at  one  time  successfully  grown 
in  Luzon,  but  the  authorities  discouraged  its  cultiva- 
tion, preferring  to  have  the  natives  raise  tobacco. 
Much  doubtless  remains  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  in- 
troducing valuable  plants  of  one  sort  and  another. 

Fruits  are  the  chief  luxury.  I have  already  men- 
tioned bananas ; there  are  some  fifty  varieties,  varying 
from  tiny,  pear-shaped  things  that  make  but  a single 
mouthful  to  huge  fruits  eighteen  inches  long.  Bananas 
form  one  of  the  really  important  articles  of  food.  At 
the  extreme  south,  in  Mindanao,  and  more  especially 
in  Sulu  and  Tawi  Tawi,  grows  the  malodorous  dtirian, 
which  in  spite  of  its  abominable  stench  is  the  king  of 
all  tropical  fruits.  The  much-prized  mangostan  also 
flourishes  in  the  southern  islands. 


74 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Among  other  edible  fruits  may  be  mentioned  man- 
goes of  unsurpassed  quality,  papaws,  oranges  of  several 
varieties,  lemons,  limes,  citrons,  shaddocks,  jack-fruit, 
breadfruit,  custard-apples,  lanzones,  tamarinds,  and 
laichees. 

The  value  of  the  forest  products  is  enormous.  Fine 
woods,  useful  for  cabinet-making  or  building,  are 
abundant ; the  nipa  palm  furnishes  a valuable  material 
for  thatching  and  siding  houses,  and  from  the  sap  ob- 
tained by  cutting  off  its  blossom-stalk,  strong  alcohol, 
of  excellent  quality,  is  readily  obtained ; there  are  many 
varieties  of  that  most  useful  of  plants,  bamboo ; the  hard 
outer  wood  of  the  palma  bvava  resists  the  action  of 
water  indefinitely,  and  the  trunks  are  used  not  only  for 
conducting  streams  of  fresh  water,  but  for  piles  under 
wharves ; rattan  of  excellent  quality  is  one  of  the  im- 
portant forest  products,  and  is  useful  in  many  ways ; 
in  addition,  there  are  gutta-percha,  dammar,  cinnamon, 
wax,  and  gums  of  various  sorts. 

The  mineral  wealth  of  the  islands  is  great,  although 
it  has  never  been  developed.  There  are  extensive 
lignite  beds  in  Cebu  and  Mindoro,  and  petroleum 
has  been  found  in  the  former  island.  Gold  exists  in 
paying  quantities  in  Luzon  and  Mindanao,  while  valu- 
able deposits  of  iron  and  other  minerals  have  long 
been  known. 

A number  of  difficulties  have  thus  far  prevented  the 
development  of  these  great  natural  resources.  The 


GENERAL  DESCRIPTION 


75 


most  serious  obstacle  has  been  the  hostile  attitude  of 
the  Spanish  government,  which  has  shown  a disposi- 
tion to  check  enterprise  by  all  manner  of  legal  quib- 
blings,  and  to  kill  profits  by  levying  exorbitant  taxes. 

The  lack  not  only  of  railroads,  but  of  roads  of  any 
description,  has  impeded  communication  and  trans- 
portation. Finally,  the  problem  of  securing  good  and 
cheap  labour  has  not  as  yet  been  very  satisfactorily 
solved.  Many  a time  have  I seen  rice  and  sugar-cane 
spoiling  in  the  field,  for  want  of  men  to  harvest  them. 

The  native  is  a philosopher.  He  works  when  obliged 
to,  and  rests  whenever  he  can  get  an  opportunity.  His 
wants  are  so  few,  and  nature  has  done  so  much  for  him, 
that  he  finds  it  possible  to  rest  much  of  the  time.  La- 
bourers must  often  be  procured  from  a distance,  and  it 
is  usually  necessary  to  pay  them  a considerable  sum  in 
advance.  Whether  they  would  develop  industry  under 
improved  conditions  remains  to  be  seen.  Should  the 
islands  come  under  the  control  of  some  progressive 
nation,  great  opportunities  will  open  before  the  capi- 
talist who  has  patience  and  enterprise  enough  to 
familiarize  himself  thoroughly  with  existing  conditions, 
and  to  overcome  the  obstacles  which  they  present. 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  however,  here  to  discuss  at 
length  the  natural  resources  of  the  Philippines.  Read- 
ers who  take  an  especial  interest  in  this  subject  are 
referred  to  the  appendix  at  the  close  of  the  volume. 


CHAPTER  IV 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 

When  we  left  Manila  for  the  first  time,  it  was  to 
visit  the  island  of  Palawan.  We  had  supposed  that 
our  troubles  would  be  over  when  our  belongings  were 
out  of  the  custom-house,  but  some  annoyances  still 
awaited  us.  On  our  arrival  at  the  capital,  we  had  been 
compelled  to  turn  over  our  passports  to  the  authorities. 
Now  they  were  “misplaced,”  and  it  took  some  time 
to  unearth  them.  Then  it  was  necessary  for  them  to 
be  endorsed  with  permission  to  travel  by  the  captain  of 
the  port,  and  handed  to  the  agents  of  the  steamer  on 
which  we  were  to  sail,  before  we  could  purchase  tickets. 

At  last  we  got  off  on  the  good  ship  Gravina , one 
of  the  stanchest  vessels  in  the  islands.  From  the 
moment  we  left  the  bay,  we  were  running  into  the 
teeth  of  the  southwest  monsoon,  which  kept  us  cool 
without  raising  enough  sea  to  cause  discomfort.  The 
fresh  air  was  delightful  after  the  sweltering  heat  of 
Manila.  We  got  on  pleasantly  with  our  Spanish 
fellow-passengers,  and  struck  up  a great  friendship 
with  the  first  engineer.  He  was  very  fond  of  shooting, 
and  it  delighted  his  heart  to  throw  bottles  over  the 

76 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


77 


stern  and  peg  away  at  them  with  one  of  our  repeating 
rifles.  We  kept  him  in  cartridges,  and  so  laid  the 
foundation  of  a friendship  destined  to  prove  of  use  to 
us  later  in  a way  that  we  did  not  dream  of  at  the  time. 

Good  old  Don  Pablo  was  the  only  Spanish  engineer 
I ever  knew  who  kept  his  engine-room  clean  and  his 
machinery  in  thoroughly  good  condition.  There  was 
no  fear  of  breakdowns  on  the  Gravina , and  she  kept 
on  her  course  in  rough  weather  when  other  steamers 
were  running  for  shelter.  It  seemed  like  the  irony  of 
fate  when  she,  of  all  the  ships  in  the  archipelago,  foun- 
dered in  a typhoon,  just  off  the  entrance  to  Manila 
Bay,  and  I have  always  hoped  against  hope  that  her 
first  engineer  was  one  of  the  two  men  reported  saved. 

Although  our  voyage  proved,  on  the  whole,  very 
enjoyable,  we  soon  found  that  there  were  some  draw- 
backs connected  with  life  on  a Philippine  mail-steamer. 
In  such  a climate  a daily  bath  is  more  than  a luxury; 
it  is  an  absolute  necessity.  It  took  us  some  time  to 
locate  the  bath-room,  and  when  we  succeeded,  we  found 
it  piled  full  of  ship’s  stores.  There  was  an  ants’  nest 
of  some  six  weeks’  standing  under  the  lid  of  the  wash- 
bowl in  my  cabin,  and  after  a long  wrangle  with  the 
“ boy  ” on  the  subject  of  furnishing  us  with  towels,  we 
decided  that  it  was  not  fashionable  to  wash,  on  that 
boat  at  least. 

Our  first  stop  was  at  the  Calamianes  Islands,  where 
we  ran  in  between  Culion  and  Busuanga  to  load  cattle. 


78 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  way  in  which  the  poor  brutes  were  taken  on  board 
surprised  us.  They  were  made  to  swim  off  to  the  ship, 
ropes  were  tied  around  their  horns  and  connected  with 
the  donkey-engine,  and  one  by  one  they  were  jerked  into 
the  air,  kicking  and  bellowing  frantically.  Each  was 
caught  by  the  tail  and  swung  in,  as  it  came  level  with 
the  deck. 

There  was  a native  village  in  sight  near  the  beach. 
It  was  the  first  we  had  ever  seen,  and  we  studied  the 
odd  houses  with  much  interest,  but  decided  it  would 
hardly  be  a safe  place  to  stop.  We  knew  very  little 
of  the  islands  then,  and  a “ native  ” seemed  quite  a 
formidable  being  to  us.  Five  years  later  I stayed  alone 
at  that  very  village  for  a number  of  weeks. 

As  soon  as  our  cattle  were  loaded,  we  put  out  to 
sea  again,  and  our  next  stopping-place  was  Cuyo,  where 
we  ran  in  to  leave  the  mails.  Cuyo  is  the  capital  of 
the  province  called  “ Calamianes,”  which  includes  the 
numerous  islands  lying  between  Palawan  on  the  west, 
and  Mindoro,  Panay,  and  Negros  on  the  east. 

For  convenience  in  administration  the  whole  archi- 
pelago is  arbitrarily  divided  into  provinces  and  dis- 
tricts, of  which  there  are  sixty-nine.  There  seems  to 
be  no  definite  rule  as  to  the  size  of  these  political  di- 
visions, each  of  which  may  include  a whole  island  or 
a very  small  part  of  one.  Where  islands  are  small,  a 
number  of  them  may  be  included  in  a single  province ; 
and  if,  as  often  happens,  communication  between  the  vari- 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


79 


ous  islets  is  difficult,  it  results  that  their  governor  has 
very  little  to  do  with  them,  and  their  affairs  are  man- 
aged chiefly  by  the  village  friars. 

Nineteen  of  the  provinces  have  a civil,  and  forty- 
three  a military  government,  while  four  are  under 
naval  officers.  The  governor  of  a province  is  assisted 
by  a secretary  and  numerous  other  officials. 

On  arrival  at  Cuyo  we  were  surprised  that  the  peo- 
ple who  came  off  to  the  ship  with  fruit,  eggs,  chickens, 
and  the  like  were  all  women.  Later  we  learned  that 
there  • were  very  few  men  to  come.  It  is  so  difficult 
to  gain  a livelihood  in  this  island  that  the  boys  and 
young  men  make  their  escape  as  soon  as  they  are 
big  enough  to  shift  for  themselves,  and  the  result  is 
that  ninety  per  cent  of  the  population  are  women. 

In  due  time  we  reached  our  destination,  and  landed 
at  Puerto  Princesa,  the  capital  of  Palawan.  The  Span- 
ish call  this  island  Paragua.  It  formerly  belonged  to 
the  Sultan  of  Borneo.  Early  in  the  eighteenth . cen- 
tury Spaniards  began  to  settle  its  northern  end,  and 
in  order  to  protect  them  from  the  warlike  Moros,  who 
lived  in  its  southern  third,  a garrison  was  established 
at  Labo.  It  was  left  without  the  necessary  supplies,  and 
was  finally  given  up  after  many  of  the  troops  had 
perished  miserably  of  hunger  and  want. 

A few  years  later,  the  Sultan  gave  the  island  to  the 
Spanish.  Troops  were  sent  under  a captain,  to  take 
formal  possession.  They  ultimately  died  from  eating 


80  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

rotten  food,  or  were  killed  by  the  Moros.  Still  later, 
a third  garrison  was  established  at  Tay  Tay.  At  first 
a little  settlement  grew  up  around  it,  but  it  ultimately 
shared  the  fate  of  its  predecessors. 

The  present  capital  of  Palawan  is  a fairly  prosperous 
place,  situated  on  a good-sized  bay  which  affords  safe 
anchorage.  The  town  has  no  defences,  and  all  it  can 
boast  in  the  way  of  public  works  is  a fixed  white  light, 
visible  at  eighteen  miles,  marking  the  entrance  to  the 
harbour,  and  a little  slip  for  repairing  vessels.  Two 
gunboats  make  headquarters  there,  and  as  a result  the 
place  is  dignified  by  the  name  of  “ Naval  Station.” 

Palawan  is  the  westernmost  of  the  larger  islands  of 
the  Philippine  group.  It  is  about  three  hundred  miles 
in  length  by  twenty  in  average  breadth.  There  are 
high  mountains  in  the  interior  throughout  a consider- 
able part  of  its  extent,  but  there  is  said  to  be  a large 
plain  in  the  northern  part  of  the  island.  Here,  too, 
if  accounts  are  to  be  believed,  is  a lake  opening  to  the 
sea  by  a subterranean  river.  The  whole  island  is  well 
watered,  but  the  numerous  streams  are  necessarily 
small,  as  the  distance  from  the  mountains  to  the  coast 
is  everywhere  short. 

The  known  wealth  of  Palawan  lies  chiefly  in  its 
forest  products.  The  greater  part  of  its  surface  is  cov- 
ered with  magnificent  timber,  and  it  is  rich  in  valu- 
able woods,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  ebony, 
logwood,  and  ipil.  The  latter  is  a very  hard  wood, 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


81 


which  can  be  had  in  logs  eighty  or  even  ninety  feet 
long.  Rattan  and  bamboo  of  good  quality  are  abun- 
dant. 

Nothing  is  at  present  known  as  to  the  mineral 
wealth  of  the  island.  It  is  a noteworthy  fact  that 
there  are  few  signs  of  former  volcanic  activity.  The 
earthquakes  which  have  caused  such  havoc  in  other 
parts  of  the  archipelago  have  not  been  felt  here. 

It  has  long  been  known  that  the  soil  is  enormously 
fertile,  and  various  attempts  have  been  made  to  en- 
courage colonization. 

In  1885  it  was  provided  by  Royal  Order  that  mili- 
tary posts  should  be  established  in  Palawan  and  Min- 
danao for  the  protection  of  prospective  settlers.  All 
Spanish  subjects  who  should  migrate  from  Spain,  as 
well  as  all  civilized  natives  who  should  settle  in  these 
islands,  were  promised  exemption  from  the  payment 
of  tribute  for  six  years.  They  were  also  to  be  given 
free  transportation  to  their  destination,  and  provided 
with  seed  and  implements. 

As  this  order  failed  to  have  the  desired  effect,  it 
was  later  provided  that  the  governors  of  the  provinces 
of  North  and  South  Ilocos  should  “stimulate  voluntary 
migration  ” of  native  families  to  Palawan,  twenty-five 
to  go  from  each  province  annually.  All  debts  owed 
the  government  by  these  families  were  to  be  cancelled. 
They  were  to  receive  free  transportation  for  themselves 
and  their  cattle,  to  be  given  three  hectares  of  land 


82 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


each,  and  practically  supported  during  the  first  six 
months  after  their  arrival.  It  was  provided  that  each 
child  should  have  one  chupa  of  rice  per  day  during 
that  time,  while  each  adult  was  allowed  two  chupas 
(one  and  a third  pints)  and  ten  cents. 

The  building  of  highways,  and  opening  of  free  ports, 
was  also  provided  for.  Nothing  came  of  all  this.  In 
the  course  of  time  a few  little  military  outposts  were 
established  in  Palawan,  but  no  highways  were  built, 
no  free  ports  opened,  nor  did  any  voluntary  immigrants 
arrive.  This  might  have  been  expected.  It  is  easy 
to  make  such  plans  for  the  undeveloped  islands  in 
this  archipelago,  but  thus  far  one  important  feature, 
namely,  the  providing  of  funds  to  carry  them  out, 
has  been  neglected ; or  if  provided,  the  money  has 
been  diverted  to  uses  quite  foreign  to  the  original 
plan. 

Although  there  have  been  no  voluntary  immigrants 
worth  mentioning,  the  number  of  those  who  have  come 
against  their  will  has  been  considerable ; for  Puerto 
Princesa  has  been  made  a penal  settlement.  Convicts 
and  suspects  from  other  parts  of  the  colony  are  sent 
there  for  longer  or  shorter  periods,  and  when  their 
sentences  expire,  if  they  live  so  long,  they  have  as  a 
rule  no  means  to  pay  for  passage  back  to  their  homes ; 
so  they  make  a virtue  of  necessity,  and  remain. 

The  convicts  are  obliged  to  work  while  serving 
their  terms.  There  was  formerly  a sugar  plantation 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


83 


near  the  town,  on  which  they  were  employed,  but  this 
has  long  since  been  abandoned.  At  the  time  of  our 
visit  they  were  cutting  timber.  They  suffered  severely 
from  hard  labour,  poor  accommodations  and  poorer 
food,  and  I was  told  that  the  death  rate  among  them 
was  very  high,  amounting  to  about  twenty-five  per 
cent  yearly. 

The  steamer  which  carried  us  brought  a fresh 
detachment  of  these  “ presos,”  and  they  made  the  trip 
from  Manila  manacled  to  a heavy  iron  bar. 

The  Governor-General  had  sent  a personal  letter 
concerning  us  to  the  governor  of  Palawan,  and  we 
were  in  consequence  very  courteously  received.  The 
governor’s  secretary  secured  a house  for  us,  and  a 
gang  of  convicts  was  detailed  to  bring  up  our  bag- 
gage. Some  of  them  had  ball-and-chain  decorations 
on  their  ankles,  and  they  were  a hard-looking  set. 

We  devoted  a day  to  settling  our  house,  and  in  the 
course  of  it  learned  several  things  about  housekeeping 
in  the  provinces.  We  had  foolishly  neglected  to  hire 
servants  before  leaving  Manila,  and  were  therefore 
obliged  to  take  two  jail-birds  into  our  service.  One 
of  them  was  to  cook,  while  the  other,  who  bore  the 
reassuring  name  of  Paraiso  (Paradise),  was  to  run  on 
errands. 

The  only  furniture  in  our  house  was  a decrepit  bed, 
a table,  and  a stove  (?)  consisting  of  a box  of  earth 
supported  on  four  legs,  in  which  we  could  build  an 


84 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


open  fire,  the  smoke  escaping  by  the  door,  windows, 
or  any  other  openings  it  could  find.  We  utilized 
boxes  of  gunpowder  for  chairs,  and  slept  in  hammocks, 
which  make  very  comfortable  beds  when  one  has 
learned  how  to  sling  them  properly. 

Our  bill  of  fare  was  rather  limited.  At  first  it  con- 
sisted of  boiled  rice  and  fish,  with  such  edible  birds 
as  we  could  shoot.  Once  or  twice  a week  we  could 
buy  beef  or  pork  in  the  market,  and  after  a time  we 
arranged  with  the  baker  of  the  place  to  supply  us 
with  bread.  The  great  problem  was  something  to 
drink.  The  town  had  no  supply  of  potable  water. 
The  governor  and  the  priest  each  had  a large  tank  in 
which  rain-water  was  caught  and  saved.  The  con- 
victs drank  from  a cistern  in  the  middle  of  the  yard 
where  they  were  confined,  and  died  promptly  in  con- 
sequence. We  bought  what  we  needed  of  a man 
who  procured  it  from  a river  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  bay,  but  it  was  sometimes  too  rough  for  him  to 
cross,  in  which  case  we  were  forced  to  content  our- 
selves with  cocoanut  “milk.”  We  made  coffee,  of 
course,  but  there  was  no  milk  for  it,  and  we  had  to 
sweeten  it  with  very  dirty  brown  sugar. 

Bright  and  early  on  the  second  day  we  got  off  for 
the  forest,  which  began  within  half  a mile  of  town. 
Everything  was  new  to  us,  and  I shall  perhaps  never 
again  experience  such  keen  delight  in  my  surround- 
ings. It  was  my  first  near  sight  of  the  marvellous 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


85 


tropical  vegetation  which  never  ceased  to  be  a wonder 
to  me.  Huge  trees  towered  to  such  a height  that  my 
strong-shooting  gun  would  not  bring  down  the  birds 
perched  among  their  branches;  these  mighty  forest 
monarchs  were  draped  and  festooned  with  fantastic 
creepers,  and  beautified  with  graceful  birds’-nest  ferns 
and  exquisite  orchids.  So  dense  was  the  foliage  that 
the  intense  rays  of  the  tropical  sun  hardly  penetrated 
it,  and  the  jungle  was  always  dripping  and  steaming 
with  moisture. 

When  I shot  a bird  I had  not  the  faintest  idea  what 
I was  going  to  pick  up,  or,  indeed,  whether  I should 
pick  up  anything;  for  three-fourths  of  the  specimens 
brought  down  were  lost  in  the  dense  vegetation,  or 
fell  in  thorny  tangles  into  which  I could  not  penetrate. 

My  leather  shoes  and  heavy  canvas  shooting-coat 
proved  a grievous  burden.  Long  before  I got  back  to 
the  house  every  garment  I had  on  was  drenched  with 
perspiration,  and  my  feet  were  badly  blistered.  The 
other  members  of  the  party  had  not  been  more  for- 
tunate, but  as  we  spread  out  our  fine  array  of  speci- 
mens on  our  return  we  forgot  how  tired  and  sore  we 
were. 

Little  by  little  we  modified  our  costume  until  we 
had  devised  a simple  and  serviceable  rig,  and  we  soon 
learned  to  note  before  shooting  whether  a bird  would 
fall  where  there  was  any  likelihood  of  our  being  able 
to  get  it. 


86 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  convicts  whom  we  met  in  the  woods  were  a 
hard-featured  set  of  rascals,  and  as  there  had  recently 
been  some  killing  of  guards  and  escaping  to  the  moun- 
tains, we  felt  rather  uneasy  when  near  them.  I was 
hunting  alone,  one  morning,  when  the  stillness  of  the 
forest  was  suddenly  broken  by  the  sound  of  heavy 
blows,  accompanied  by  blood-curdling  shrieks  and  a cu- 
rious, intermittent  bumping  noise,  as  of  heavy  bodies 
falling.  I fancied  that  a gang  of  “ presos"  must  be 
chasing  their  guards  through  the  brush  and  beating 
them  to  death.  The  sounds  drew  rapidly  nearer,  and 
thinking  discretion  the  better  part  of  valour,  I hid  in 
the  bushes  and  waited  with  gun  cocked.  Here  I was 
shortly  discovered  by  a miserable  yellow  dog,  and  was 
just  debating  whether  it  was  best  to  shoot  him  and 
clear  out,  when  the  cause  of  my  alarm  suddenly  ap- 
peared. A gang  of  convicts  were  diligently  pounding 
three  carabaos  (water-buffaloes)  attached  to  a heavy 
piece  of  timber,  that  bumped  along,  causing  the  sound 
which  I had  mistaken  for  the  noise  of  falling  bodies. 
I could  not  at  first  make  out  where  the  screams, 
which  I had  certainly  heard,  came  from,  but  in  a mo- 
ment strangely  human  cries  from  the  branches  over 
my  head  caused  me  to  look  up  and  discover  a flock 
of  mina-birds , which  for  some  reason  known  only  to 
themselves  had  seen  fit  to  follow  the  crowd  and  add 
their  outcries  to  the  general  hubbub. 

From  the  very  outset  our  servants  stole  from  us. 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


87 


At  first  only  small  change  disappeared ; then  clothing 
followed  suit,  and  finally  we  missed  a box  containing 
twenty-five  pounds  of  gunpowder.  We  had  no  pow- 
der to  spare,  so  the  Doctor  went  to  consult  the  gov- 
ernor as  to  what  should  be  done.  On  learning  that 
we  had  reason  to  suspect  Paradise  of  the  theft,  he 
advised  us  to  scare  him  into  telling  us  where  the  plun- 
der was  hidden  if  possible,  and  if  not  to  “ kill  him  and 
be  done  with  it  ” ! 

Acting  on  the  first  suggestion,  we  shut  Paradise 
into  a room,  and  introduced  him  to  the  business  end  of 
a heavily  loaded  shotgun  at  very  close  range.  We  told 
him  that  he  must  choose  between  confessing  and  part- 
ing company  with  his  upper  story.  He  at  first  denied 
all  knowledge  of  the  matter;  then  admitted  that  he  had 
taken  the  powder,  but  said  he  had  forgotten  where  he  put 
it.  Finally,  after  his  memory  had  been  vigorously  jogged, 
he  offered  to  take  us  to  the  place  where  it  was  hidden. 

Bourns,  Mateo,  and  I escorted  him,  and  we  carried 
two  shotguns  and  a revolver,  lest  he  should  try  to  make 
for  the  jungle.  We  were  hardly  out  of  sight  of  the 
house  when  he  had  another  lapse  of  memory.  We  took 
him  back  again,  and  the  Doctor  stimulated  his  lagging 
nerve-cells  by  vigorously  applying  to  his  person  a clean- 
ing-rod made  of  good  Michigan  hickory.  This  treat- 
ment had  the  desired  effect,  and  we  set  out  once  more, 
the  Doctor  bringing  up  the  rear,  and  occasionally  re- 
freshing recollection  with  the  rod. 


88 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Our  servant  piloted  us  to  what  we  took  for  a native 
house,  where  we  asked  and  received  permission  to  enter. 
Paradise  now  conducted  us  to  the  kitchen,  saying 
that  he  had  left  the  powder  concealed  beneath  the  stove. 
There  was  no  powder  there,  however,  and  he  accused  a 
little  boy,  not  strong  enough  to  lift  the  box,  of  having 
carried  it  off.  The  Doctor,  despairing  of  getting  the 
truth  out  of  him,  finally  set  off  for  the  headquarters 
of  the  guardia  civil  to  seek  help,  leaving  us  on  guard. 

Presently  a very  pretty  young  Spanish  woman  ap- 
peared on  the  scene,  and,  after  staring  for  a moment 
in  blank  amazement  at  the  tableau  in  her  kitchen, 
screamed  and  ran.  Five  minutes  later  a much-excited 
lieutenant  rushed  in  and  proceeded  to  ask  numerous 
pointed  questions. 

Mateo  endeavoured  to  explain  the  situation,  and  the 
lieutenant  calmed  down  a little.  When  the  Doctor  re- 
turned, we  found  that  our  wretch  of  a boy  had  deliber- 
ately led  us  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  officials,  in 
order  to  get  us  into  trouble.  Mutual  explanations  fol- 
lowed, accompanied  by  many  apologies  on  our  part. 
The  Spanish  lady,  who  proved  to  be  the  wife  of  the 
owner  of  the  house,  returned  and  laughed  at  the  whole 
affair,  while  the  lieutenant  himself  insisted  on  accom- 
panying us,  and  aiding  us  in  our  search. 

We  now  took  Paradise  to  the  headquarters  of  the 
guardia,  and  turned  him  over  to  the  captain  in  com- 
mand, who  ordered  him  whipped.  As  this  failed  to 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


89 


produce  the  desired  result,  he  was  then  bastinadoed. 
Meanwhile  the  lieutenant  knocked  him  down  a few 
times,  during  breathing-spells.  He  finally  led  the  sol- 
diers off  on  the  same  sort  of  a wild-goose  chase  he 
had  taken  us.  By  the  time  they  returned  with  him, 
nearly  every  Spaniard  in  the  place  was  on  hand,  and 
each  of  them  felt  called  upon  to  aid  in  punishing  him. 
At  last,  after  he  had  taken  the  guardias  around  the 
town  a second  time,  and  had  once  more  forgotten  where 
the  powder  was,  they  beat  him  a little  more  and  locked 
him  up  for  the  night. 

Our  polite  friend,  the  lieutenant,  insisted  on  escort- 
ing us  to  the  door  of  our  house,  and  bade  us  a cour- 
teous good  night.  The  next  morning  he  went  down  to 
the  house  of  the  governor,  and  swore  out  a warrant 
for  us  on  the  charge  of  entering  his  house  with  armed 
violence , alleging  that  we  had  not  only  pushed  his  major- 
domo  aside  with  the  muzzles  of  our  guns,  but  had 
struck  and  choked  him ! These  interesting  facts  he 
had  learned  from  the  majordomo  himself,  who  was,  like 
our  own  servants,  a convict. 

I had  started  for  the  woods  that  morning  with  no  sus- 
picion of  trouble.  On  my  return  I found  soldiers  watch- 
ing our  house,  and  learned  that  the  Doctor  was  already 
standing  trial  at  the  “ gobierno"  while  we  had  all 
been  notified  to  consider  ourselves  under  arrest,  and 
to  remain  at  home.  A dismal  rain  began  to  fall,  and 
as  the  hours  passed,  and  the  Doctor  did  not  return, 


90 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


our  hearts  turned  to  lead.  We  imagined  all  sorts  of 
evil  things. 

It  was  very  unusual  for  any  vessel  except  the  regular 
monthly  Spanish  mail-steamer  to  put  into  Puerto 
Princesa,  and  the  governor  had  us  completely  in  his 
power ; for  we  had  no  means  of  communicating  with  the 
outside  world. 

Nine  o’clock  came,  and  still  the  Doctor  did  not 
return.  We  had  just  decided  that  he  was  surely  in  jail, 
and  were  wondering  how  soon  they  would  take  us  to  the 
same  place,  when  to  our  great  relief  he  appeared.  It 
seemed  that  the  necessary  officials  had  not  been  able  to 
get  together  until  dark,  so  he  had  spent  an  afternoon 
visiting  with  the  governor,  and  had  been  on  trial  all  the 
evening. 

Proceedings  continued  during  the  next  day.  We  sug- 
gested to  the  Spaniards  that  it  was  rather  far-fetched  to 
put  the  word  of  a criminal  against  that  of  five  honest 
men,  and  they  seemed  to  see  the  point ; for  they  dropped 
the  first  charge  and  brought  up  a second,  saying  that 
we  had  carried  loaded  firearms  on  the  street  after  dark, 
which  was  against  the  rules  of  the  town.  We  admitted 
the  truth  of  this  accusation,  but  suggested  that  they 
ought  not  to  push  us  too  hard  for  the  violation  of  a 
police  ordinance  of  which  they  had  not  told  us;  es- 
pecially since  the  Governor-General  had  granted  us 
unusual  privileges  in  the  matter  of  using  firearms. 
They  then  abandoned  the  second  count,  but  had  a third 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


9i 


all  ready.  It  was  the  most  astonishing  of  all.  They 
said  that  we  had  shamefully  abused  Paradise,  and  that 
the  poor  boy  had  been  laid  up  in  hospital  ever  since. 

Now  it  happened  that  one  of  us  had  seen  him  on  the 
street,  the  morning  after  our  unfortunate  adventure,  en- 
gaged in  the  healthful  occupation  of  breaking  stones. 
Furthermore,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  our  friend  the 
lieutenant  had  knocked  him  down,  and  nearly  every 
Spaniard  in  town  had  struck  or  kicked  him,  between 
the  numerous  whippings  and  bastinadoings  bestowed 
on  him  by  order  of  the  captain  of  the  guardia , we  felt 
that  we  might  properly  decline  to  take  all  the  respon- 
sibility for  any  injuries  he  might  have  sustained. 

This  last  charge  was  so  evidently  trumped  up  for 
the  occasion  that  the  Doctor’s  temper  gave  way. 
With  much  frankness  he  told  the  surprised  Spaniards 
that  they  were  simply  trying  to  badger  us  into  paying 
a fine.  He  served  notice  on  them  that  we  should  go 
about  our  business,  refusing  to  consider  ourselves 
under  arrest,  or  to  obey  any  summons  to  appear 
before  them ; and  ended  by  threatening  them  with 
bombardment  and  destruction  if  they  molested  us 
further.  The  old  gentleman  was  so  much  in  earnest 
that  they  must  have  concluded  he  had  a fleet  hidden 
away  somewhere  up  the  coast. 

They  dismissed  court  for  the  day,  and  the  governor 
tried  to  avoid  further  responsibility  by  running  off  on 
one  of  his  gunboats  to  visit  the  outposts,  but  was 


92 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


driven  back  by  foul  weather,  whereupon  he  quashed 
the  proceedings  against  us.  We  were  fortunate  to 
escape  so  easily,  for  the  worst  misfortune  which  can 
befall  a man  in  the  Philippines  is  to  get  into  a lawsuit. 

Foreman’s  statement  of  the  probable  result  of  a 
legal  entanglement  is  so  good  that  I quote  it. 

“ Between  notaries,  procurators,  solicitors,  barristers,  and  the  slug- 
gish process  of  the  courts,  a litigant  is  fleeced  of  his  money,  often 
worried  into  a bad  state  of  health,  and  kept  in  horrible  suspense  and 
doubt  for  years.  When  judgment  has  been  given,  it  is  as  hard  to  get 
it  executed  as  it  was  to  win  the  case.  Even  then,  when  the  question 
at  issue  is  supposed  to  be  settled,  a loophole  or  flaw  in  the  sentence 
can  always  be  concocted  to  re-open  the  whole  affair.  If  the  case  has 
been  tried  and  judgment  given  under  the  Civil  Code,  a way  is  often 
found  to  convert  it  into  a criminal  case,  and  when  apparently  settled 
under  the  Criminal  Code,  a hitch  will  be  discovered  under  the  Laws 
of  the  Indies,  or  the  Siete  Partidas,  or  the  Roman  Law,  or  the  Novisima 
Recopilacion,  or  the  Antiguos  fueros,  Decrees,  Royal  Orders,  Ordenan- 
zas  de  bnen  Gobierno,  and  so  forth.” 

By  way  of  illustration  he  cites  the  case  of  a Negros 
planter,  who  was  accused  of  homicide.  After  being 
acquitted  by  the  judge  of  his  province,  he  went  to 
Manila  in  order  to  sret  a confirmation  of  the  verdict 

O 

from  the  supreme  court.  The  expenses  of  the  legal 
proceedings  were  so  great  that  he  had  to  mortgage 
his  plantation  to  meet  them,  and  after  the  matter  was 
apparently  ended  in  his  favour,  a new  provincial  judge, 
in  hunting  over  old  cases  for  something  that  might 
bring  him  fees,  came  across  this,  and  got  the  unfortu- 
nate man  sent  to  jail  for  eight  years ! 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


93 


There  is  no  justice  in  the  Philippines  except  for 
those  who  can  afford  to  pay  for  it  very  liberally,  and 
one  of  the  most  crying  needs  of  the  colony  is  one 
simple  but  comprehensive  code  of  laws,  and  honest 
and  prompt  enforcement  of  its  provisions. 

The  readiness  with  which  the  officials  at  Puerto 
Princesa  seized  on  a very  poor  excuse  to  make  us 
trouble  illustrates  well  the  general  feeling  toward  for- 
eigners. In  our  case  they  may  have  been  suspicious 
that  we  were  trying  to  spy  out  the  land,  for  they  are 
always  hunting  for  mares’  nests,  and  did  not  believe 
that  we  were  really  working  so  hard  and  wasting  so 
much  good  ammunition  merely  for  the  sake  of  a few 
apparently  worthless  bird-skins. 

This  was  not  to  be  our  last  clash  with  Spanish 
authorities,  but  we  were  not  again  molested  in  Pala- 
wan. Nevertheless,  we  were  glad  when  the  time  came 
for  us  to  sail  for  Mindanao. 

Four  years  later  Bourns,  Mateo,  and  I returned  to 
Puerto  Princesa,  and  as  we  saw  a great  deal  on  our 
second  visit  to  Palawan  which  we  missed  on  our  first, 
I shall  take  up  our  further  experiences  on  this  little- 
known  island  in  the  following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  V 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 

In  December,  1892,  three  members  of  our  old  party 
returned  to  Palawan.  When  we  had  left  the  Philip- 
pines, at  the  end  of  our  first  expedition,  Mateo  had 
preferred  to  remain  at  his  old  home  in  Mindanao. 
Here  Bourns  and  I had  found  him,  six  months  after 
our  return  to  the  archipelago,  and  we  had  at  once 
added  him  to  our  permanent  force. 

We  had  looked  forward  to  a second  visit  to  Palawan 
with  some  misgivings.  Our  previous  encounter  with 
the  governor  there  had  become  the  gossip  of  the  whole 
colony,  and  repeatedly  during  our  wanderings  we  had 
heard  grossly  exaggerated  accounts  of  the  performances 
of  the  naturalistas  americanos  at  Puerto  Princesa. 
We  had  not  thought  it  necessary  to  claim  any  relation- 
ship with  those  “ naturalistas ,”  but  had  felt  certain 
that  we  should  be  recognized  by  some  one  when  actu- 
ally on  the  ground.  Backed  as  we  were  by  a strong 
order  from  Weyler,  our  position  was  secure,  but  it  is 
not  agreeable  to  feel  oneself  an  object  of  dislike  to 
a whole  community. 


94 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


95 


Our  concern  was  needless,  although  our  first  at- 
tempt in  a social  way  was  not  a success.  We  were 
resolved  to  do  our  part,  at  least,  and  soon  after  our 
arrival  went  to  the  one  Spanish  tienda  in  the  place, 
where  the  Europeans  were  accustomed  to  meet,  in 
order  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  our  neighbours.  In 
five  minutes  we  had  turned  a very  jolly  assemblage 
into  a Quaker  meeting,  and  in  fifteen  we  had  beaten 
a retreat. 

Our  official  call  on  the  governor  was  promptly  re- 
turned, however.  The  other  Spaniards  followed  the 
example  of  their  superior,  and  we  were  soon  on  good 
terms  with  everybody. 

Not  one  of  the  officials  whom  we  had  known  during 
our  first  visit  remained.  They  had  all  been  transferred 
to  other  places.  The  new  governor  was  a handsome 
and  courtly  old  Spaniard,  and  more  than  that,  he  was 
a gentleman,  in  the  best  sense  of  the  word.  Unfailing 
courtesy  marked  his  dealings  with  every  one.  Time 
and  again  we  saw  him  halt  in  his  tracks,  to  return  the 
salute  of  some  poor  native  marine  from  one  of  his  gun- 
boats. During  our  stay  he  lost  no  opportunity  to  show 
us  kindness.  We  were  invited  to  join  in  all  the  little 
social  events  of  the  place,  and  several  weeks  passed 
very  pleasantly.  The  illustration  on  page  96,  from  a 
photograph  taken  at  a birthday  party  given  by  one  of 
the  officials,  shows  the  Spaniards  of  the  town,  with  the 
governor  in  the  seat  of  honour  at  the  head  of  the  table. 


96 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


A SPANISH  BIRTHDAY  PARTY  — PUERTO  PRINCESA,  PALAWAN 

When  in  the  island  before,  we  had  seen  next  to 
nothing  of  the  wild  people  who  form  practically  its 
whole  population;  for  the  little  settlement  of  Spaniards 
and  civilized  natives  at  Puerto  Princesa  is  hardly  worth 
considering,  when  it  comes  to  a question  of  numbers. 
This  time  we  were  determined  to  get  among  the 
savages. 

In  the  southern  part  of  Palawan  Moros  are  found,  in 
the  central  portion  and  along  the  northern  coasts  a tribe 
called  Tagbanuas , and  in  the  northern  mountain  region 
Battaks.  We  knew  the  Tagbanuas  to  be  a pacific 
people,  and  we  hoped  they  might  be  of  use  to  us.  We 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


97 


had  heard  circumstantial  accounts  of  two  strange  mam- 
mals said  to  inhabit  the  mountain  region.  One  was 
a large  ape,  and  the  other  a goat.  A Spanish  officer 
who  had  been  stationed  at  one  of  the  outposts  in  the 
island  had  assured  us  that  a wild  goat  had  been 
brought  him  by  the  Tagbanuas,  and  had  been  kept 
in  captivity  by  him  for  some  time.  Another  Spaniard 
had  vowed  that  he  had  himself  seen  the  apes,  which 
were  as  lar^e  as  men. 

While  we  did  not  take  much  stock  in  the  goat  story, 
the  proximity  of  the  island  to  Borneo  led  us  to  give 
some  consideration  to  the  big-monkey  tale,  and  we 
were  anxious  to  get  hold  of  the  mountain  people  and 
learn  the  truth. 

There  happened  to  be  an  engineer  in  the  place,  who 
was  conducting  a private  experiment  in  civilization. 
He  had  won  the  confidence  of  a considerable  number 
of  Tagbanuas,  and  had  persuaded  them  to  come  down 
from  the  mountains  and  construct  a village  under  his 
direction.  None  but  “good”  Tagbanuas  were  allowed 
in  the  place.  Little  by  little  he  had  encouraged  his 
people  to  plant  rice,  bananas,  and  cocoanuts,  and  had 
helped  them  to  organize  a form  of  local  government. 

His  motives  had  not  been  purely  disinterested,  to  be 
sure.  He  had  been  sent  to  Palawan  to  construct  a 
highway  across  the  island,  in  order  to  establish  land 
communication  between  the  capital  and  the  outposts 
on  the  west  coast,  which  cannot  readily  be  reached 


98 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


by  sea.  After  the  road  had  been  carried  half  of  the 
necessary  distance,  his  men  were  taken  from  him  and 
sent  to  Mindanao.  This  is  the  way  with  most  govern- 
ment enterprises  in  the  Philippines. 

Senor  D’Escouvet  was  very  much  interested  in  that 
road.  He  hoped  his  men  might  be  sent  back  to 
him  sometime,  and  knowing  that  what  had  already 
been  accomplished  would  soon  be  lost  unless  the 
rapidly  encroaching  vegetation  was  constantly  cleared 
away,  he  organized  his  Tagbanua  village,  and  made  it 
the  duty  of  the  headmen  to  see  that  the  road  to  town 
was  kept  clean  and  in  repair. 

He  promised  to  make  inquiries  among  his  people 
in  regard  to  strange  animals,  and  a few  days  later 
sent  a messenger  to  summon  us  to  his  house,  where 
we  found  a number  of  Tagbanuas  assembled.  They 
assured  us  positively  that  both  the  goat  and  the  big 
ape  existed  in  the  island.  Not  only  did  they  have 
names  of  their  own  for  these  animals,  but  one  of  the 
young  men  insisted  that  he  had  actually  seen  a goat 
within  two  weeks.  He  described  it  in  detail,  and  as 
his  account  sounded  plausible,  and  there  were  no 
tame  goats  which  he  could  have  seen,  we  were  inclined 
to  believe  him. 

D’Escouvet  invited  us  to  move  up  to  his  model  vil- 
lage and  establish  our  headquarters  there,  and  offered 
to  go  with  us  himself.  We  at  once  accepted  his  invita- 
tion, and  he  sent  for  carriers  to  transport  our  luggage. 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


99 


When  they  arrived,  we  set  out  for  Tagbarus.  All  the 
people  of  the  place  met  us  at  the  confines  of  their  ter- 
ritory, and  we  were  triumphantly  escorted  to  a house 
that  had  been  made  ready  for  us. 


TAGBANUA  TYPES  — IWAHIG  RIVER,  PALAWAN 

Mateo  started  at  once  to  look  for  goats,  taking  the 
man  who  professed  to  have  seen  one  as  guide,  while 
for  the  next  week  Bourns  and  I studied  our  strange 
hosts,  or  hunted  near  their  village.  The  Tagbanuas 
are  a decidedly  interesting  people.  They  are  com- 
monly believed  to  be  a half-breed  race  between  the 
Negritos  (the  little  black  aborigines  of  the  archipelago) 


IOO 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


and  some  Malay  tribe.  At  all  events,  they  are  quite 
dark  skinned,  and  their  hair  shows  a decided  tendency 
to  curl. 

On  ordinary  occasions  the  men  wear  only  a clout, 
while  the  women  content  themselves  with  a piece  of 
cloth  wrapped  around  the  body  and  reaching  from  waist 
to  knees.  The  Tagbanua  costume  is  not  a safe  subject 
for  generalization,  however.  Some  of  the  men  adopt  the 
Moro  dress.  Others,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  Puerto 
Princesa,  have  obtained  cast-off  articles  of  European 
clothing.  So  far  as  we  could  judge,  hats  came  first  in 
their  estimation,  coats  second,  and  pantaloons  last. 

The  women  usually  have  in  reserve  a semitrans- 
parent camisa,  or  waist,  and  a second  fairly  long  skirt, 
which  they  don  on  special  occasions.  (See  page  103.) 

During  our  stay  at  Tagbarus  we  were  fortunate 
enough  to  witness  an  uncommon  sight.  Noting  an 
unusual  stir  among  the  villagers  one  day,  we  inquired 
the  cause,  and  learned  that  they  were  about  to  have 
a mac  as  la  festival.  Mac  as  la  is  the  name  of  a mixture 
used  by  the  Tagbanuas  in  taking  fish.  We  had  heard 
of  its  remarkable  properties  with  some  incredulity,  and 
we  therefore  awaited  developments  with  much  interest. 

The  mixture  was  prepared  late  in  the  afternoon,  in 
order  that  it  might  ferment  over  night.  It  contained 
six  vegetable  ingredients,  which  were  pounded  up  in 
an  old  dugout  canoe,  together  with  earth  and  wood- 
ashes.  The  macasla  itself  was  the  all-important  ele- 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


IOI 


ment,  and  they  had  sent  miles  away  to  get  a little.  It 
proved  to  be  the  fruit  of  a low-growing  bush.  Among 
the  other  plant  substances  used  we  recognized  chiles 
(fiery  red-peppers)  and  carote , a tuber  sometimes  used 
by  the  natives  for  food  after  preliminary  treatment  for 
the  removal  of  a poison  which  it  contains.  The  three 
remaining  vegetable  substances  were  unfamiliar  to  us. 

I crushed  a little  of  the  macasla,  soaked  it  in  alcohol 
for  a few  minutes,  and  gave  a spoonful  of  the  resulting 
solution  to  a monkey  which  I wranted  to  get  rid  of. 
He  promptly  died. 

Half  the  village  gathered  about  the  old  canoe  and 
watched  the  making  of  the  mixture,  which  was  pre- 
pared under  the  direction  of  a very  old  man.  When 
all  was  to  his  mind,  he  covered  the  canoe  with  banana 
leaves,  and  forbade  any  one  to  remove  them  before 
the  following  day. 

The  village  was  stirring  early,  for  it  was  necessary 
to  catch  the  tide  at  its  turn.  Men,  women,  and 
children  assembled  about  the  old  canoe,  each  carrying 
a looseiy  woven  wicker  basket,  into  which  was  put 
some  of  the  viacasla  mixture.  All  hands  then  ad- 
journed to  the  beach.  There  wTere  extensive  shoals 
along  the  shore,  which  had  been  left  bare  by  the  re- 
ceding water.  We  walked  out  as  far  as  wre  could  go, 
and  awaited  the  turn  of  the  tide.  It  came  in  a short 
time,  and  the  waves  were  soon  racing  in  over  the 
shoals.  The  critical  moment  had  now  arrived.  The 


102 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Tagbanuas  formed  a long  line,  and  at  a given  signal 
each  dropped  his  basket  into  the  water,  and  jerked  it 
about  by  a thong  until  the  macasla  was  washed  out 
and  well  scattered.  Then  all  began  to  retreat  slowly 
toward  the  shore. 

For  the  first  ten  minutes  we  noticed  no  effect,  but 
at  the  end  of  that  time  things  began  to  get  lively: 
Crabs  forsook  their  holes  and  scuttled  aimlessly  about, 
as  if  seeking  to  escape  from  something.  Small  fish 
began  to  come  to  the  surface  for  air.  In  five  minutes 
more  some  of  the  large  fish  showed  signs  of  distress. 
They  jumped  out  of  the  water,  or  floated  at  the  top  a 
moment,  finally  coming  to  rest  on  their  sides  at  the 
bottom.  If  touched,  they  would  dart  off  for  a few 
feet,  only  to  turn  over  and  sink  again. 

The  natives  rushed  around,  grabbing  them  in  their 
hands,  or  disabling  them  with  machetes  if  they  chanced 
to  be  too  big  to  handle  easily;  all  the  time  laughing 
and  shrieking  with  delight.  Their  baskets  were  soon 
filled,  and  we  then  returned  to  Tagbarus. 

Although  fish  of  all  sorts  were  temporarily  disabled 
by  the  macasla , only  a few  very  small  ones  died.  The 
others  had  begun  to  recover  before  we  left  the  beach. 
We  could  not  make  out  how  the  mixture  acted.  The 
Tagbanuas  said  that  it  affected  the  eyes  of  the  fish, 
but  I doubt  this  somewhat.  On  the  other  hand,  while 
certain  of  the  ingredients  were  poisonous  enough  if 
swallowed,  I saw  no  fish  attempting  to  eat  the  stuff, 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


103 


TAGBANUA  MOTHER  AND  CHILDREN  — PALAWAN 


104 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


and  the  effect  was  too  prompt  and  widespread  to  have 
been  entirely  due  to  such  a cause. 

There  was  much  celebrating  in  town  that  night, 
with  music,  dancing,  and  feasting.  Like  many  of  the 
Philippine  tribes,  the  Tagbanuas  are  born  musicians. 
Their  instruments  were  of  the  simplest  sort,  consist- 
ing of  drums  with  shark-skin  heads,  flutes  of  bamboo, 
“ jew’s-harps  ” of  the  same  material,  and  guitars  or 
banjoes  with  hemp  strings ; but  the  pleasing  harmonies 
which  they  sometimes  managed  to  produce  were  the 
more  remarkable  because  of  the  rudeness  of  the  con- 
trivances which  they  were  obliged  to  use. 

Dancers  sometimes  came  out  singly,  sometimes  in 
pairs.  Many  of  the  dances  were  very  interesting,  but 
as  we  did  not  understand  the  words  which  accom- 
panied them,  much  of  their  significance  was  lost  to 
us.  In  one  of  the  commonest  a man  and  a woman,  or 
a boy  and  a girl,  took  part,  each  showing  off  fancy 
steps  of  a very  lively  order  while  the  man  tried  to 
catch  his  partner  off  her  guard  and  gain  a position 
immediately  in  front  of  her.  She  would  allow  him 
to  all  but  succeed,  foiling  him  at  the  last  instant  by 
a quick  dodge  or  sudden  turn.  If  the  man  gained  the 
desired  position  for  so  much  as  an  instant,  his  partner 
at  once  retired,  and  another  took  her  place.  In  not  a 
few  instances  this  dance  resolved  itself  into  a test  of 
physical  endurance  between  two  individuals,  the  one 
who  first  gave  out  being  liberally  jeered  by  the  crowd. 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


105 


In  another  of  the  dances  a woman  executed  some 
difficult  movements  on  her  knees. 

The  day  after  the  macasla  festival  Mateo  returned. 
His  trip  had  resulted  in  complete  failure.  His  guide 
had  at  first  stood  by  the  assertion  that  he  had  seen 
a goat  himself.  As  they  drew  nearer  their  destination, 
he  decided  that  it  was  his  iincle  who  had  seen  it,  and 
when  they  were  finally  on  the  ground,  admitted  that 
he  had  only  heard  from  “ the  old  men  ” that  there 
zised  to  be  goats  there ! As  there  was  nothing  to  indi- 
cate that  even  the  old  men  had  spoken  the  truth, 
Mateo  returned. 

We  at  once  decided  to  attempt  the  ascent  of  Mt. 
Pulgar  (Thumb  Mountain),  lying  southwest  of  Puerto 
Princesa.  We  had  been  assured  that  both  goats  and 
apes  abounded  on  it,  and  as  we  knew  that  the  few 
attempts  made  to  climb  it  had  failed,  we  expected  to 
find  conditions  undisturbed  by  man. 

Three  previous  efforts  had  been  made  to  ascend 
this  mountain,  but  in  each  case  Tagbanua  guides  had 
got  lost  in  the  forest,  and  had  led  the  exploring  party 
aimlessly  about  until  its  members  were  only  too  glad  to 
get  back  to  the  place  from  which  they  had  started. 
The  Tagbanuas  had  always  insisted  that  there  was  no 
path  to  the  base  of  Pulgar,  but  this  we  did  not  be- 
lieve. We  wanted  to  win  their  confidence,  and  learn 
the  truth  from  them  ; and  it  was  decided  that  I should 
go  back  to  town,  cross  the  bay,  ascend  the  Iwahig  River 


io6 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


until  I struck  a rancheria , and  devote  my  energies  to 
getting  into  the  good  graces  of  its  inhabitants.  Bourns 
was  to  follow  a few  days  later,  with  the  luggage. 


A TYPICAL  TAGBANUA  HOUSE  — PALAWAN 


I succeeded  beyond  my  expectation.  The  wild 
Tagbanuas  proved  much  more  interesting  than  their 
partially  civilized  brethren.  They  were  very  friendly, 
and  much  less  suspicious  than  most  of  the  savage 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


107 


tribes  which  we  encountered.  Their  village  houses  were 
built  of  nipa  palm  and  bamboo,  like  those  of  the  civil- 
ized natives,  but  were  of  smaller  size,  and  many  were 
perched  high  up  in  the  air  instead  of  being  within 
six  or  eight  feet  of  the  ground. 

To  my  utter  surprise  I found  that  they  had  a simple 
syllabic  alphabet,  and  that  it  was  in  common  use.  In 
place  of  note-paper  they  used  fresh  joints  of  bamboo, 
scratching  their  letters  on  the  smooth  surface  in  verti- 
cal columns.  The  possession  of  this  alphabet,  as  well 
as  their  odd  religious  belief,  seems  to  me  to  point 
backward  to  a day  when  they  had  a much  higher 
civilization  than  at  present. 

They  told  me  that  “ in  the  early  days  ” they  had 
been  governed  by  a ruler  called  Magogoorang  Ginod , 
who  held  office  for  life.  If  he  proved  a good  chief, 
his  eldest  son  was  allowed  to  succeed  him ; if  not, 
a new  one  was  chosen  by  the  will  of  the  people.  At 
present,  however,  there  is  no  ruler  for  the  whole  tribe. 
The  affairs  of  each  community  are  directed  by  a council 
of  old  men,  who  administer  justice  according  to  Tagbanua 
traditions  and  their  own  ideas  of  what  is  fitting. 

If  a person  is  charged  with  a serious  crime,  accused 
and  accuser  are  conducted  by  the  old  men  to  the 
bank  of  some  deep  pool,  and  there,  in  the  presence 
of  relatives  and  friends,  the  two  dive  beneath  the  water 
at  the  same  instant.  The  one  who  remains  under 
the  longer  is  held  to  have  spoken  the  truth. 


io8  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

Theft  is  punished  by  a fine,  equivalent  to  twice  the 
value  of  the  stolen  article.  If  the  culprit  cannot,  or 
will  not,  pay  the  fine,  he  is  whipped.  In  case  of 
adultery  an  injured  husband  may  kill  both  his  wife 
and  her  paramour,  but  may  not  kill  the  one  and  let 
the  other  go  free. 

Polygamy  is  not  allowed.  A father  sets  a price  on 
each  of  his  daughters,  and  whoever  wishes  to  marry 
one  of  them  must  pay  the  amount  demanded.  Should 
a father  object  on  personal  grounds  to  a suitor  who 
is  willing  to  give  the  price  set,  he  must  himself  pay  a 
fine  to  the  injured  individual. 

Child  marriage  is  extremely  common.  Women  are 
in  demand,  and  it  is  said  that  children  are  sometimes 
betrothed  before  birth,  with  the  rather  necessary  pro- 
viso of  their  turning  out  to  be  of  the  proper  sex!  The 
illustration  on  the  opposite  page  shows  a group  of 
women  at  Iwahig,  dressed  in  their  best  clothes.  Of  the 
little  girls  on  the  right,  the  first  and  third  were  married. 

If  a marriage  proves  unhappy,  either  contracting 
party  can  break  it  by  paying  a fine  to  the  other.  The 
parents  of  the  two  settle  the  sum  to  be  paid. 

Tagbanua  women  are,  as  a rule,  well  treated,  but 
are  expected  to  do  their  full  share  of  hard  work.  It 
is  not  uncommon  for  a woman  to  bathe  and  go  about 
her  usual  duties  the  day  after  bearing  a child. 

When  a death  occurs,  the  relatives  of  the  deceased 
person  set  a time  for  the  funeral.  At  the  appointed 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


109 


hour  his  house  is  torn  down,  and  his  body  is  carried 
to  the  woods  and  buried  in  the  earth.  Dishes  and 
earthen  pots  belonging  to  him  are  broken  over  his 
crave  to  mark  it. 

O 

While  a corpse  is  awaiting  burial,  the  Tagbanuas 
are  in  dread  of  a mythical  creature  called  balbal , 


TAGBANUA  WOMEN  AND  GIRLS  — PALAWAN 

which  they  say  comes  from  the  Moro  country.  It  sails 
through  the  air  like  a flying-squirrel.  In  form  it  is 
man-like,  with  curved  nails  which  it  uses  to  tear  up 
the  thatch  of  houses,  and  a long  tongue  with  which 
it  reaches  down  and  “ licks  up  ” the  bodies. 

I was  especially  interested  in  their  views  as  to  a 


I IO 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


future  life.  They  scouted  the  idea  of  a home  in  the 
skies,  urging  that  it  would  be  inaccessible.  Their  no- 
tion was  that  when  a Tagbanua  died  he  entered  a 
cave,  from  which  a road  led  down  into  the  bowels  of 
the  earth.  After  passing  along  this  road  for  some  time, 
he  came  suddenly  into  the  presence  of  one  Taliakood, 
a man  of  gigantic  stature,  who  tended  a fire  which 
burned  forever  between  two  tree-trunks  without  con- 
suming them.  Taliakood  inquired  of  the  new  arrival 
whether  he  had  led  a good  or  a bad  life  in  the  world 
above.  The  answer  came,  not  from  the  individual 
himself,  but  from  a louse  on  his  body. 

I asked  what  would  happen  should  the  man  not 
chance  to  possess  any  of  these  interesting  arthropoda, 
and  was  informed  that  such  an  occurrence  was  unprece- 
dented ! The  louse  was  the  witness , and  would  always 
be  found,  even  on  the  body  of  a little  dead  child. 

According  to  the  answer  of  this  singular  arbiter, 
the  fate  of  the  deceased  person  was  decided.  If  he 
was  adjudged  to  have  been  a bad  man,  Taliakood 
pitched  him  into  the  fire,  where  he  was  promptly  and 
completely  burned  up.  If  the  verdict  was  in  his  favour, 
he  was  allowed  to  pass  on,  and  soon  found  himself  in 
a happy  place,  where  the  crops  were  always  abundant 
and  the  hunting  was  good.  A house  awaited  him.  If 
he  had  died  before  his  wife,  he  married  again,  selecting 
a partner  from  among  the  wives  who  had  preceded 
their  husbands;  but  if  husband  and  wife  chanced  to 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN  hi 

die  at  the  same  time,  they  remarried  in  the  world 
below.  Every  one  was  well  off  in  this  happy  under- 
ground abode,  but  those  who  had  been  wealthy  on  earth 
were  less  comfortable  than  those  who  had  been  poor. 
In  the  course  of  time  sickness  and  death  again  over- 
took one.  In  fact,  one  died  seven  times  in  all,  going 
ever  deeper  into  the  earth  and  improving  his  surround- 
ings with  each  successive  inward  migration,  without 
running  a second  risk  of  getting  into  Taliakood's 
fire. 

I could  not  persuade  the  Tagbanuas  to  advance  any 
theories  as  to  the  nature  or  origin  of  the  sun,  moon,  and 
stars.  Clouds  they  called  “ the  breath  of  the  wind.’ 

They  accounted  for  the  tide  by  saying  that  in  a far- 
distant  sea  there  lived  a gigantic  crab : when  he  went 
into  his  hole  the  water  was  forced  out,  and  the  tide 
rose ; when  he  came  out  the  water  rushed  in,  and  the 
tide  fell.  The  thing  was  simplicity  itself. 

I asked  them  why  the  monkey  looked  so  much  like 
a man.  They  said  because  he  was  once  a man,  who 
was  very  lazy  when  he  should  have  been  planting  rice. 
Vexed  at  his  indolence,  a companion  threw  a stick  at 
him  which  stuck  into  him;  whereupon  he  assumed  his 
present  form,  the  stick  forming  his  tail. 

One  afternoon,  when  I was  busily  at  work  caring  for 
specimens  which  had  been  brought  to  me,  a much-excited 
Tagbanua  appeared  and  asked  what  I would  give  for  a 
big  snake.  He  said  he  had  one  for  sale  which  was 


I 12 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


eight  times  as  long  as  a stick  that  he  carried,  and 
he  also  showed  me  a bit  of  rattan  two  feet  in  length, 
which,  he  said,  measured  its  girth.  I found  that  if  he  was 
telling  the  truth,  his  snake  was  twenty-two  feet  long. 

Pythons  are  numerous  in  the  Philippines,  and  during 
our  first  trip  we  had  often  heard  of  very  large  ones; 
but  the  nearer  we  got  to  them  the  smaller  they  grew, 
until  at  last,  when  we  applied  the  yard-stick,  they 
shrank  about  a half,  so  that  I had  rather  lost  faith  in 
very  large  specimens.  This  man  seemed  decidedly  in 
earnest,  however,  and  I accordingly  offered  him  six 
dollars,  with  the  proviso  that  I would  add  fifty  cents 
for  every  foot  that  the  snake  ran  over  twenty-two,  and 
take  off  the  same  amount  for  every  foot  he  fell  short. 
Six  dollars  seems  a princely  sum  to  a Tagbanua,  and 
he  closed  with  me  at  once.  He  explained,  however,  that 
as  the  snake  was  about  six  miles  away,  and  it  had  taken 
a day  to  get  him  one  mile,  after  catching  him,  it 
might  be  some  time  before  the  goods  could  be  delivered. 

It  seemed  that  he  had  been  hunting  porcupines,  in 
company  with  two  companions,  when  they  had  dis- 
covered his  snakeship  coiled  up  under  a fallen  tree. 
Arranging  rattan  slip-nooses  so  that  he  could  not  well 
escape  them  all,  they  had  then  poked  him  up  and 
caused  him  to  crawl  into  their  snares,  when  they  jerked 
the  knots  tight,  and  made  the  lines  fast  to  trees. 
How  they  ever  managed  to  transport  the  creature  after 
catching  him,  I could  not  quite  make  out. 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


ii3 

I suggested  to  the  native  that  it  might  be  easier  for 
me  to  go  to  the  python  than  for  him  to  bring  the 
python  to  me.  This  happy  solution  of  the  difficulty 
delighted  him  greatly,  and  as  it  was  too  late  for  me 
to  start  that  night,  he  left  me  a boy  for  a guide,  and 
hurried  back  to  watch  that  six-dollar  snake. 

Mateo  and  I got  off  bright  and  early  the  next  morning, 
taking  preservatives  and  a pint  of  chloroform  with  us. 

When  we  reached  our  destination,  I nearly  stepped 
on  the  python,  which  was  stretched  perfectly  straight 
on  the  ground,  and  looked  for  all  the  world  like  a log. 
A venomous  hiss  warned  me  of  my  mistake,  and  caused 
me  to  beat  a retreat  so  sudden  as  to  afford  intense 
delight  to  the  assembled  crowd  of  Tagbanuas.  Evi- 
dently they  had  not  intended  that  the  huge  reptile 
should  escape,  for  they  had  tied  him  to  stumps,  house- 
timbers,  boulders,  in  fact  everything  to  which  they 
could  make  a line  fast. 

He  had  about  three  feet  of  play  for  his  head,  how- 
ever, and  as  he  did  not  seem  amiable,  I thought  it 
wise  to  treat  him  with  great  respect.  Drenching  a 
handful  of  absorbent  cotton  with  chloroform,  I pre- 
sented it  to  him  on  the  end  of  a piece  of  bamboo.  He 
bit  it  savagely,  and  it  caught  on  his  long  recurved  teeth, 
so  that  he  could  not  get  rid  of  it.  In  a few  moments 
I was  watching  in  amazement  the  most  remarkable 
exhibition  of  brute  force  that  I ever  saw.  Under  the 
stimulus  of  the  chloroform  that  python  broke  green 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


1 14 

rattans  three-quarters  of  an  inch  in  diameter , and  he 
did  it  without  apparent  exertion.  There  was  no  thrash- 
ing about.  It  was  all  quiet,  steady  pulling.  He  soon 
broke,  or  twisted  out  of,  every  one  of  his  fastenings 
except  a running  noose  around  his  neck;  and  getting  a 
hold  for  his  tail  around  a neighbouring  stump,  he  pulled 
until  it  seemed  as  if  his  head  would  come  off. 

Eventually  the  chloroform  quieted  him  somewhat, 
and  I was  then  able  to  give  him  more.  Finally,  after 
he  was  well  stupefied,  I pulled  out  his  tongue  and 
poured  what  remained  down  his  windpipe. 

When  he  seemed  to  be  pretty  thoroughly  dead,  I 
had  him  dragged  under  the  shade  of  a house,  but 
fortunately  took  the  precaution  of  again  making  fast 
the  free  end  of  the  rattan  about  his  neck.  Wishing 
to  avoid  injury  to  the  skin,  as  far  as  possible,  I cut 
through  it  on  his  belly  for  about  eighteen  inches,  at 
the  point  where  the  body  was  largest.  I planned  to 
work  the  skin  off  clear  around  him,  then  cut  the  body 
in  two  and  skin  both  halves  of  it  out  through  the 
one  opening.  I was  just  beginning  to  halve  him,  when 
he  suddenly  recovered  consciousness.  It  was  evident 
that  he  strongly  disapproved  of  the  treatment  he  had 
received.  I did  not  want  to  shoot  him,  because  it 
would  injure  the  skin  too  much,  and  my  chloroform 
was  all  gone.  By  carefully  watching  for  its  beat,  I 
finally  located  his  heart,  and,  choosing  a time  when 
he  was  stretched  at  full  length  and  could  not  strike, 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN  115 

pierced  it  with  one  blow  from  a dagger,  and  he  slowly 
bled  to  death. 

We  measured  him  carefully,  and  found  his  length  to 
be  twenty-two  feet  six  inches.  We  had  no  means  of  ac- 
curately determining  his  weight,  but  it  could  not  have 
been  far  from  375  pounds. 


SKIN  OF  HUGE  PYTHON  — PALAWAN 

It  cost  us  six  hours  of  hard  work  to  remove  the  skin, 
and  took  us  nearly  all  night  to  clean  it. 

I have  always  regretted  that  I did  not  have  the  camera 
with  me.  When  Bourns  brought  it,  a few  days  later,  we 
got  a photograph  of  the  skin. 

When  we  first  broached  the  subject  of  ascending  Pul- 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


1 16 

gar,  the  Tagbanuas  declared  it  to  be  impossible.  They 
said  there  was  no  path  to  the  mountain,  and  they  did 
not  know  the  way  ; that  even  if  we  could  find  it,  the 
“ packda"  (big  apes)  would  roll  stones  down  on  us;  and 
finally  the  old  men  had  told  them  that  near  the  top  the 
sides  of  the  mountain  were  perpendicular,  so  that  we 
could  not  get  up  anyhow.  No  Tagbanua  had  ever  yet 
climbed  Pulgar ; how  then  could  a white  man  hope  to 
do  it  ? We  assured  them  that  we  were  looking  for 
“packda"  and  after  watching  the  effect  of  our  heavy 
rifles  they  gained  some  confidence.  It  took  us  a long 
time  to  win  them  over,  but  they  finally  consented  to 
accompany  us  on  condition  that  they  should  be  allowed 
to  run  as  soon  as  the  dreaded  apes  appeared. 

On  the  day  appointed  for  the  start  Bourns  was  ill,  but 
the  time  remaining  was  so  short  that  delay  was  out  of  the 
question,  so  Mateo  and  I went  on  without  him,  accom- 
panied by  nine  Tagbanuas.  We  soon  found  that,  as  I had 
all  the  time  suspected,  there  was  a path  straight  to  Pulgar. 

Although  I had  reduced  my  baggage  to  the  lowest 
possible  terms,  and  had  only  a gun  myself,  the  tramp 
proved  a hard  one  for  us  all.  On  our  way  we  met 
Tagbanuas  carrying  heavy  loads  of  dammar  to  the  coast. 
They  had  it  in  large  baskets,  each  of  which  was  fitted  to 
the  back  of  the  bearer,  and  held  in  place  by  a thong 
across  his  forehead,  and  two  more  over  his  shoulders 
and  under  his  arms.  The  loads  carried  in  this  way 
were  very  heavy. 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN  117 

Later  we  came  to  the  “ mine,”  where  dammar  was 
being  dug.  It  is  a vegetable  gum,  which  exudes  from  a 
large  tree.  In  some  places  there  are  extensive  deposits, 
which  have  run  into  the  earth  in  bygone  years,  or  have 
been  gradually  covered  with  accumulating  leaf-mould. 
It  is  abundant  in  Mindanao,  as  well  as  Palawan,  but 
the  deposits  have  never  been  systematically  worked. 

Near  this  dammar  mine  were  the  huts  of  the  work- 
men, and  I had  a chance  to  see  how  the  Tagbanuas 
live  while  in  the  forest.  They  spend  much  of  their 
time  in  search  of  honey,  wax,  and  the  like  during  the 
dry  season,  and  the  huts  which  they  build  while  in 
the  woods  are  merely  rude  leaf  shelters  over  platforms 
of  poles.  These  miserable  shacks  are  so  low  that  their 
occupants  cannot  stand  erect.  Smudges  are  kept  con- 
stantly going  underneath  them,  to  drive  away  insect 
pests,  and  men,  women,  and  children  squat  contentedly 
in  smoke  that  would  choke  a white  man. 

We  saw  no  utensils  save  a few  earthen  pots,  and 
what  the  people  lived  on  we  could  not  discover.  The 
men  are  very  skilful  in  setting  snares,  however,  and  por- 
cupines and  jungle-fowl  doubtless  formed  an  important 
part  of  their  food. 

We  tarried  at  this  settlement  only  long  enough  for 
lunch,  and  hastened  on.  By  four  o’clock  I was  ready 
to  make  camp,  2500  feet  up  on  the  side  of  Pulgar. 
I chose  to  stop  at  this  point  because  above  it  the 
mountain  was  one  huge  moss-grown  stone  pile,  and  the 


1 18 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


streams  were  all  deep  down  in  the  crevices  between 
the  rocks.  Near  the  site  of  our  camp  a fine  brook 
came  gushing  from  the  mountain-side,  and  furnished 
us  with  a plentiful  supply  of  delicious  water. 

Leaving  my  men  to  construct  a leaf  shelter  under 
Mateo's  direction,  I pushed  on  up  the  mountain,  and 
ascended  a thousand  feet  without  serious  difficulty. 
Here  a projecting  crag  gave  me  a clear  view  of  the 
thumb-like  peak  from  which  Pulgar  takes  its  name, 
and  I was  able  to  map  out  a feasible  route  for  the  next 
day.  Compass  in  hand,  I took  careful  bearings,  and 
then  went  back  to  camp.  I was  pleasantly  surprised  to 
find  Bourns  there.  He  had  grown  a little  better,  and 
had  been  unable  to  resist  the  temptation  to  follow  us.  I 
promised  him  that  we  would  eat  dinner  on  the  tip  of  the 
thumb  next  day,  and  we  did,  though  at  a rather  late  hour. 

In  the  morning  we  left  one  man  to  watch  the  camp, 
and  pushed  on,  taking  with  us  food,  water,  extra  clothing, 
two  rubber  blankets,  and  two  guns.  We  soon  got  above 
the  line  of  large  trees.  At  no  point  had  we  seen  the 
palms  on  the  buds  of  which  the  big  apes  were  said  to 
feed,  and  we  knew  they  would  not  inhabit  the  mass  of 
ferns  and  wet  scrub  which  lay  between  us  and  the  sum- 
mit. Our  men  soon  realized  that  the  “ packda  ” theory 
was  exploded,  and  the  mere  mention  of  the  word  was 
enough  to  set  them  off  into  fits  of  laughter.  Our  climb 
was  not  without  its  rewards,  however.  Exquisite  ferns 
and  orchids  were  on  every  hand,  but  what  especially 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN  119 

interested  us  were  the  remarkable  pitcher-plants,  of 
which  we  found  two  species.  One  trailed  over  bushes 
and  low  trees,  and  bore  frequent  tendrils,  on  the  ends  of 
which  were  graceful  pitchers  with  overhanging  lids,  each 
large  enough  to  hold  half  a glass  of  water.  This  species 
disappeared  somewhat  abruptly  at  a height  of  about 
3000  feet,  and  its  place  was  taken  by  a still  more  re- 
markable form,  with  a stiff  central  stem  reaching  a height 
of  three  or  four  feet.  The  stem  bore  whorls  of  long, 
knife-like  leaves,  the  midribs  of  which  projected  beyond 
the  blades,  and  hung  down  to  the  ground,  where  each 
bore  an  immense  pitcher,  with  a neat  lid.  The  largest 
of  these  held  a pint  and  a half  of  water.  Examination 
revealed  the  fact  that  they  were  most  ingenious 
insect  traps.  The  water  which  they  contained  tempted 
thirsty  creatures,  and  smooth  grooves  leading  inward 
made  their  entrance  easy;  but  a ring  of  keen-pointed 
spines,  directed  in  and  down,  about  the  edge  of  each 
pitcher,  made  escape  impossible  for  any  but  winged 
insects,  after  they  had  once  entered. 

We  soon  found  ourselves  in  the  clouds.  It  was 
fortunate  that  I had  mapped  out  a route  the  night 
before,  for  otherwise  we  should  never  have  made  the 
summit.  As  it  was,  our  progress  was  steady,  though 
slow.  The  scrub  grew  thicker  as  we  climbed  higher, 
and  we  had  to  wait  for  our  men  to  cut  their  way  through 
the  tangle,  foot  by  foot. 

The  summit  proved  to  be  one  of  the  disappear- 


120 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


ing  sort.  A dozen  times  we  thought  we  had  almost 
reached  it,  but  it  was  after  two  o’clock  when  we  finally 
stood  on  the  point  of  the  thumb. 

A cold  wind  swept  the  crest  of  the  mountain,  and 
in  five  minutes  after  we  stopped  climbing  we  were 
chilled  to  the  bone.  Our  Tagbanuas  had  never  ex- 
perienced such  cold,  and  were  much  alarmed;  but  we 
gave  them  heavy  clothing,  and  when  they  had  built 
a fire  they  felt  better.  We  had  been  shut  in  by  dense 
clouds,  but  suddenly  they  broke  away,  and  it  was  worth 
all  the  fatigue  of  the  trip  to  see  the  astonishment  of 
those  savages.  They  now  realized  for  the  first  time 
that  they  were  in  the  clouds,  and  we  could  hardly 
make  out  which  surprised  them  most,  that  fact,  or  the 
wonderful  view  which  spread  out  before  them.  They 
had  never  dreamed  of  anything  like  it,  nor,  for  that 
matter,  had  we.  To  the  north  and  south  lay  absolutely 
unbroken  forest,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  To 
the  east  we  looked  over  the  Mindoro  Sea  to  distant 
mountain  peaks  beyond  it,  and  to  the  west  we  searched 
the  China  Sea  in  vain  for  any  sign  of  land ; but  our 
eyes  ever  came  back  to  that  vast  expanse  of  splendid 
forest,  which  seemed  to  stand  as  it  was  in  the  begin- 
ning, with  never  a trace  of  the  marring  hand  of 
man. 

Hunger  and  thirst  soon  brought  us  back  to  the 
contemplation  of  practical  things.  Through  an  acci- 
dent, we  had  lost  our  supply  of  drinking  water  during 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  PALAWAN 


1 2 I 


the  ascent.  We  knew  it  was  hopeless  to  search  for  a 
spring,  and  were  obliged  to  content  ourselves  with  pour- 
ing the  water  from  some  of  the  pitcher-plants,  straining 
out  the  deceased  insects,  and  making  coffee  with  that. 
An  idea  now  occurred  to  us,  and  we  cleaned  out  forty 
or  fifty  big  pitchers.  When  the  rain  began  again,  as 
it  soon  did,  we  caught  a good  supply  of  clean  water. 

It  was  too  late  to  descend  the  mountain  that  day. 
Bourns  and  I managed  to  rig  up  a rude  shelter,  with 
a roof  of  rubber  blankets  and  sides  of  brush,  while 
our  men  huddled  around  their  fire.  The  next  morn- 
ing we  put  our  names,  the  date,  and  the  height  of 
the  mountain  as  measured  by  our  barometer,  in  a 
small  bottle,  and  wedged  it  securely  into  a crevice 
within  eighteen  inches  of  the  top.  This  done,  we 
rigged  a big  banner,  to  prove  that  we  had  really  gained 
the  summit,  and  reluctantly  turned  our  backs  upon  a 
sight  on  which  the  eye  of  man  had  probably  never 
before  rested.  We  reached  our  temporary  camp  wet 
and  hungry,  and  rested  there  over  night. 

When  we  arrived  at  Iwahig  the  next  day,  the  natives 
at  first  refused  to  believe  that  we  had  really  climbed 
the  mountain;  whereupon  our  men  got  angry,  and  a free 
fight  followed.  After  convincing  their  fellow-townsmen, 
by  very  forcible  arguments,  that  they  spoke  the  truth, 
they  found  themselves  suddenly  converted  into  popular 
heroes,  and  they  were  still  basking  in  the  sunshine  of 
their  newly  acquired  greatness  when  we  left  them. 


122 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


While  up  the  Iwahig  River,  we  visited  the  scene 
of  one  of  the  many  melancholy  failures  which  have 
resulted  from  attempts  to  develop  the  resources  of  the 
Philippines. 

Senor  Felipe  Canga-Arguelles  y Villalba  was  for 
some  time  the  governor  of  Palawan.  He  long  tried 
unsuccessfully  to  interest  his  countrymen  in  the  tre- 
mendous possibilities  of  his  province,  and  finally,  after 
resigning  his  official  position,  secured  a concession  of 
12,000  hectares  of  land.  He  was  to  be  allowed  to  work 
mines,  cut  timber,  and  cultivate  the  soil.  He  found 
it  necessary  to  employ  Chinese  labour  to  clear  away 
the  forest,  but  was  refused  permission  to  employ  aliens. 

Not  content  with  this,  his  countrymen  accused  him 
of  trying  to  interest  foreigners  in  his  concession,  which 
was  of  course  a deadly  crime!  It  was  even  hinted  that 
he  meant,  eventually,  to  declare  Palawan  independent 
territory,  and  additional  restrictions  were  imposed  on 
him  until  his  concession  became  absolutely  worthless. 

He  had  started  a sort  of  experiment  station  near  us, 
and  a visit  to  it  furnished  abundant  proof  of  the  won- 
derful fertility  of  the  soil.  The  overseer  was  delighted 
to  see  us,  and  was  anxious  to  detain  us.  We  found 
his  tales  of  what  might  have  been  very  interesting,  but 
it  was  necessary  for  us  to  hasten  back  to  Puerto 
Princesa  and  get  ready  to  take  the  mail-steamer.  A 
few  days  later  we  turned  our  backs  on  this  island 
of  great  possibilities,  and  sailed  for  Sulu. 


CHAPTER  VI 


BALABAC,  CAGAYAN  SULU,  MINDANAO,  AND  BASILAN 

Our  first  stop  on  the  voyage  to  Sulu  was  at  Balabac, 
a small  island  just  south  of  Palawan.  It  is  inhabited 
by  Moros,  who,  while  not  so  warlike  as  their  brethren 
in  Sulu  and  Mindanao,  are  still  very  far  from  being 
good  citizens. 

Balabac  is  hilly,  and  is  almost  entirely  covered  with 
forest,  but  in  the  few  places  where  attempts  have  been 
made  to  cultivate  the  soil,  it  has  proved  very  fertile. 

The  island  is  extremely  unhealthful.  Fever,  of  a 
virulent  type,  is  very  common,  and  so  is  that  disgusting 
disease  biri-biri.  An  appointment  as  governor  of  Bala- 
bac is  not  ordinarily  regarded  as  a compliment.  In 
fact,  it  is  quite  generally  understood  that  this  honour 
is,  as  a rule,  reserved  for  some  one  who  could  be  con- 
veniently spared  should  he  be  providentially  removed. 
This  was  at  all  events  the  view  of  the  case  taken  by 
the  poor,  fever-marked  governor  who  came  off  to  our 
steamer.  His  face  and  neck  were  covered  with  the 
evil  brown  spots  that  are  the  sure  sign  of  bad  malarial 
poisoning,  and  he  openly  avowed  his  belief  that  he  had 
been  sent  to  the  accursed  place  to  die.  We  at  first 


12  3 


124 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


thought  he  had  a very  bad  case  of  “funk,”  but  when, 
a few  minutes  later,  marines  from  one  of  the  gunboats 
were  brought  out  to  our  ship  for  removal  to  hospital, 
and  we  saw  that  they  were  swollen  into  utter  shape- 
lessness with  biri-biri,  we  decided  to  drop  Balabac  from 
our  list  of  islands  to  be  visited. 

Our  next  stop  was  at  a little  volcanic  island  in  the 
midst  of  the  Sulu  Sea,  called  Cagayan,  where  we  put  in 
to  load  more  cattle.  It  is  inhabited  almost  exclusively 
by  Moros,  the  only  government  representative  being  a 
mestizo  interpreter.  The  people  seemed  to  be  peaceable, 
and  on  our  second  visit  to  the  Philippines  we  planned 
to  make  a stop  there.  Unfortunately,  they  had  in  the 
meantime  fallen  into  bad  ways.  While  we  were  at  Sulu, 
a boat-load  of  them  were  brought  in  by  a gunboat. 
They  had  been  caught  selling  firearms  and  ammuni- 
tion in  Tawi  Tawi.  General  Arolas  put  them  to  work 
on  his  streets.  Among  their  number  were  two  chiefs 
who  felt  that  they  had  been  mortally  insulted,  and  when 
finally  allowed  to  return  to  their  homes,  they  promptly 
stirred  up  so  much  ill  feeling  that  their  island  became 
a very  unsafe  place  for  white  men;  so  we  were  forced 
to  abandon  our  proposed  visit. 

When  we  arrived  at  Sulu,  we  found  things  unusu- 
ally lively.  General  Arolas  had  sacked  Maibun,  the 
Moro  stronghold,  only  two  days  before,  and  the  island, 
dangerous  enough  at  any  time,  was  in  a ferment. 
Arolas  objected  strongly  to  our  going  outside  of  the 


M I N DAN AO 


125 


walls,  saying  that  he  felt  personally  responsible  for 
our  safety,  and,  if  we  insisted  on  hunting,  he  should 
have  to  send  a strong  escort  of  troops  with  us.  It  was 
useless  to  attempt  to  collect  under  such  circumstances, 
so  we  remained  on  the  steamer  until  we  reached  Zam- 
boanga, at  the  extreme  southwestern  point  of  Mindanao, 
and  disembarked  there. 

Mindanao  is  nearly  as  large  as  Luzon,  and  many 
times  larger  than  any  of  the  remaining  islands  of  the 
Philippine  group.  Until  within  a short  time,  next  to 
nothing  has  been  known  of  its  interior;  but  the  priests 
of  the  Jesuit  mission  have  persistently  and  fearlessly 
pushed  explorations  until  they  have  gathered  data  for 
a fairly  complete  and  accurate  map. 

They  recognize  twenty-four  distinct  tribes  of  people, 
of  whom  seventeen  are  pagan,  six  Mohammedan  (Moro), 
while  the  remainder  are  Christian  Visayans,  who  have 
come  in  from  the  northern  islands  and  settled  at  various 
points,  especially  along  the  north  coast. 

Most  of  the  wild  tribes  are  of  Malayan  origin,  but 
there  still  remain  in  Mindanao  a considerable  number 
of  the  little  black  Negritos,  and  with  them  some  of 
the  Malay  tribes  have  intermarried. 

The  warlike  Moros  are  especially  dreaded.  They 
are  found  along  the  southern  and  southwestern  coasts, 
and  near  the  large  rivers  and  inland  lakes. 

Although  the  island  is  nominally  divided  into  prov- 
inces, Spanish  control  is,  as  a matter  of  fact,  effective 


126 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


only  in  narrow  and  more  or  less  isolated  strips  along 
the  sea  and  near  a few  of  the  rivers  which  afford 
the  only  means  of  communication  with  the  interior. 
There  are  no  roads,  and  the  futility  of  attempting  to 
move  troops  inland  was  beautifully  demonstrated  by 
General  Weyler  during  our  second  visit. 

For  some  reason  best  known  to  himself,  he  saw  fit 
to  send  in  an  expedition  against  the  Moros.  It  was 
very  broadly  hinted  by  his  countrymen  that  he  had 
an  itching  for  the  rank  of  marshal,  and  hoped  to  win 
it.  Whatever  the  cause,  all  the  available  forces  in  the 
archipelago  were  concentrated,  and  marched  into  the 
Mindanao  forest.  An  officer  who  accompanied  the  ex- 
pedition told  me  that  the  enemy  simply  ran  away,  and 
they  were  never  able  to  overtake  them,  while  eighty 
per  cent  of  their  own  men  were  disabled  by  starvation 
and  fever.  Although  the  starvation  might  have  been 
avoided,  it  is  tolerably  certain  that  the  fever  was 
inevitable. 

'Fhe  mortality  was  certainly  terrible.  We  saw  the 
wreck  of  the  expedition  come  back,  and  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  the  priests  from  all  the  towns  near  Zamboanga 
were  called  in,  they  could  not  shrive  the  soldiers  as  fast 
as  they  died.  Sick  men  were  sent  away  by  the  ship- 
load. Meanwhile,  Weyler  was  directing  operations 
from  a very  safe  distance,  spending  much  of  his  time 
on  a despatch-boat. 

We  learned,  later,  that  several  glorious  victories 


M I N DAN AO 


127 


were  announced  at  Manila,  and  were  celebrated  with 
processions,  fireworks,  and  great  rejoicing. 

The  scenery  in  Mindanao  is  very  fine.  The  largest 
known  flower,  measuring  some  three  feet  in  diameter, 
has  been  discovered  there.  There  are  several  active 
volcanoes  in  the  island,  of  which  the  most  famous  is 
Mt.  Apo,  near  Davao.  Extinct  volcanoes  are  numerous. 

Extensive  areas  are  covered  with  magnificent  trees, 
and  apart  from  the  valuable  forest  products  which 
Mindanao  has  in  common  with  several  of  the  other 
islands,  gutta-percha  is  abundant  in  certain  localities. 

As  might  be  inferred  from  its  name,  which  signi- 
fies “man  of  the  lake,”  Mindanao  is  well  watered.  Its 
rivers  are  more  important  than  those  of  Luzon.  The 
Butuan  rises  within  a few  miles  of  the  south  coast, 
and  runs  north,  traversing  the  whole  island.  The 
Rio  Grande,  on  the  other  hand,  rises  near  the  north 
coast,  and  flows  south  and  west.  Important  lakes 
are  connected  with  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  Butuan, 
while  Lake  Lanao,  situated  just  where  the  western 
peninsula  joins  the  main  body  of  the  island,  empties 
into  the  sea  by  the  river  Agus. 

The  soil,  especially  in  the  river  and  lake  regions, 
is  enormously  productive.  Little  is  known  of  the  min- 
eral wealth,  but  it  is  certain  that  gold  exists  in  pay- 
ing quantities  at  a number  of  points.  Diggings  have 
long  been  worked  by  the  natives  near  Misamis  and 
Surigao. 


128 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Zamboanga,  the  port  at  which  we  landed,  is  the 
capital  of  a province  bearing  the  same  name.  It  is 
the  oldest  of  the  Spanish  settlements,  having  been 
taken  and  fortified  in  the  early  days  as  a base  of 
operations  against  the  Moros.  It  still  has  an  old 
stone  fort  into  which  the  inhabitants  might  retreat  if 
attacked. 

The  town  is  large  and  clean.  It  has  a pier  extend- 
ing out  to  moderately  deep  water,  but  large  vessels 
have  to  lie  some  distance  offshore.  The  port  would 
be  a convenient  place  for  Australian  steamers  to  call, 
and  as  a matter  of  fact  they  used  to  stop  there;  but 
the  excessive  harbour  fees  and  senseless  customs  re- 
strictions have  long  since  caused  it  to  be  shunned. 

We  established  ourselves  at  a small  and  very  poor 
hotel,  on  our  arrival,  and  while  there  had  an  opportu- 
nity to  see  how  natives  are  sometimes  treated.  There 
was  a gray-headed  old  fellow  about  the  place,  who 
did  some  work  in  the  stables.  He  one  day  chanced 
to  pass  through  a room  in  which  we  were  sitting,  in 
company  with  several  Spanish  officers,  and  one  of  the 
latter  ordered  him  to  bring  a drink.  Although  he 
was  not  a waiter,  he  set  off  on  the  errand ; but  he 
was  old  and  slow,  and  when  he  returned  the  officer 
flew  into  a passion  because  he  had  been  gone  so  long, 
knocked  him  down,  and  kicked  his  ribs  in.  We  found 
him,  later,  dying  in  a horse-manger. 

The  natives  of  the  town  and  vicinity,  known  as  Zam- 


MINDANAO 


129 


boanguenos , are  an  odd  lot.  Perhaps  a majority  of 
them  are  descended  from  Visayans  who  migrated  to 
the  island  long  ago ; certainly  a very  considerable 
portion  are  the  offspring  of  slaves  who  have  con- 


A GROUP  OF  ZAMBOANGUENOS — AYALA,  MINDANAO 

trived  to  escape  from  the  Moros.  As  the  latter 
people  were  not  at  all  particular  where  they  obtained 
captives,  so  long  as  they  got  them,  the  result  has  been 
that  representatives  of  most  of  the  Philippine  coast- 
tribes  have  found  their  way  to  Zamboanga,  where 
their  intermarriage  has  given  rise  to  a people  of  de- 


130 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


cidedly  mixed  ancestry.  On  account  of  the  multi- 
plicity of  native  dialects,  Spanish  became  the  medium  of 
communication,  but  they  have  long  since  converted  it 
into  a Zamboangueno  patois  which  is  quite  unintelli- 
gible to  one  familiar  only  with  pure  “ Castellano .” 

Many  of  these  people  have  the  best  of  reasons  for 
hating  the  Moros,  and  on  one  occasion  they  displayed 
such  bravery  in  helping  the  troops  to  repel  an  attack 
on  the  town  that  a special  decree  was  issued  declar- 
ing them  all  “ Spaniards  of  the  first  rank.”  This 
honour  seems  to  be  without  practical  value,  however. 

It  happened  that  our  boy  Mateo  was  a Zamboan- 
gueno, born  of  a Tagalog  father  and  a Visayan 
mother,  both  of  whom  were  escaped  Moro  slaves. 
Thirteen  years  before,  Dr.  Steere  had  picked  him  up 
at  the  little  native  village  called  Ayala,  some  eighteen 
miles  from  town.  Having  gone  almost  immediately 
to  America  and  remained  there  ever  since,  without 
once  hearing  from  his  own  people,  he  was  naturally 
anxious  to  find  them,  and  at  once  set  off  on  horse- 
back for  his  old  home. 

As  there  was  no  good  collecting  ground  near  Zam- 
boanga, we  decided  to  follow  him  by  sea,  as  soon  as 
we  could  get  a boat  to  take  us  and  our  belongings. 
We  soon  found  one,  but  unfortunately  the  Doctor 
paid  the  owner  in  advance.  He  promptly  got  very 
drunk,  and  remained  in  that  condition  for  three  days, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  we  Q^ot  off. 

O 


MINDANAO 


i3i 


The  boat  was  a clumsy  dugout,  kept  upright  in 
the  water  by  means  of  bamboo  outriggers,  lashed  to 
heavy  cross-pieces,  which  held  them  parallel  to  its 
sides,  and  about  eight  feet  out.  If  the  craft  tipped, 
the  bamboos  on  one  side  were  sunk  in  the  water, 
while  those  on  the  other  were  lifted  out,  and  the  buoy- 
ancy of  the  former  combined  with  the  weight  of  the 
latter  to  right  it  at  once.  An  arched  nipa  shade  at  the 
stern  protected  us  from  the  sun.  Our  men  were 
obliged  to  row  with  oars  made  by  tying  board  blades 
on  to  poles  of  suitable  length.  Although  we  started 
early  and  had  a good  crew,  it  was  long  past  noon 
when  we  reached  our  destination;  for  one  of  the 
strong  currents  which  sweep  the  coast  of  Mindanao 
ran  against  us  all  the  way. 

Mateo  met  us  with  a very  sober  face.  He  had  long 
counted  on  seeing  his  father  and  mother,  but  they 
had  both  died  of  cholera,  and  of  his  large  family  of 
brothers  and  sisters,  all  but  three  had  met  the  same 
fate. 

At  Ayala  we  saw,  for  the  first  time,  a village  of 
decent,  civilized  natives  completely  under  Spanish 
control.  There  is  a good  deal  of  similarity  between 
such  villages.  Each  has  a church,  a convento , and  a 
tribunal.  The  church  is  usually  the  most  pretentious 
edifice  in  the  place,  and  the  convento , or  priest’s  house, 
the  most  comfortable.  (See  page  254.) 

The  tribimal  (see  page  257)  is  the  one  which  chiefly 


132 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


concerns  travellers.  It  is  a sort  of  town-hall,  where 
the  head  men  of  the  village  meet  to  transact  business. 
It  contains  a pair  of  stocks,  or  some  other  contrivance 
for  the  detention  of  prisoners.  It  is  frequently  used 
as  a barrack  for  troops,  and,  last,  but  not  least,  any 
traveller  who  chooses  to  do  so  has  a right  to  put  up 
there. 

Hanging  on  the  wall  is  ordinarily  to  be  found  a list 
of  the  proper  local  prices  for  rice,  fowls,  eggs,  meat, 
and  other  articles  of  food,  as  well  as  for  horse-hire, 
buffalo-hire,  carriers,  etc.  The  object  of  this  list  is  to 
protect  strangers  from  extortion. 

The  priests  and  friars  in  the  smaller  towns  and 
villages  are,  as  a rule,  very  hospitable,  and  are  fre- 
quently glad  to  have  the  monotony  of  their  lives 
broken  by  a visit  from  a stranger.  They  are  often 
imposed  upon,  however,  and  as  our  party  was  so  large, 
and  our  work  so  dirty,  we  made  it  a rule  not  to  stay 
at  a convento  even  when  urged  to  do  so. 

Upon  our  arrival  at  Ayala  we  at  once  started  for 
the  tribunal , where  the  gobernadorcillo  immediately  set 
about  making  us  comfortable. 

A gobernadorcillo  (literally  “little  governor”)  is  to 
be  found  in  every  Philippine  town  or  village,  and  is  a 
very  important  personage.  He  is  always  a native  or 
mestizo , and  is  the  local  representative  of  the  gov- 
ernor of  his  province,  from  whom  he  receives  instruc- 
tions, and  to  whom  he  sends  reports.  His  headquarters 


MINDANAO 


133 


are  at  the  tribunal.  He  is  addressed  as  capitan  during 
his  term  of  office,  and  after  his  successor  has  been 
chosen  is  known  as  a capitan  pasado. 

He  settles  all  local  questions  except  those  which 
assume  a serious  legal  aspect  and  therefore  properly 
belong  to  the  justice  of  the  peace;  but  his  most  im- 
portant duty  is  to  see  that  the  taxes  of  his  town  are 
collected,  and  to  turn  them  over  to  the  administrator 
of  the  province.  He  is  personally  responsible  for 
these  taxes,  and  must  obtain  them  from  his  “ cabezas" 
or  make  good  the  deficit.  He  is  obliged  to  aid  the 
guardia  civil  in  the  capture  of  criminals,  and  to  assist 
the  parish  friar  in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  church, 
frequently,  also,  in  advancing  his  private  ends.  Finally, 
he  is  at  the  beck  and  call  of  all  the  officials  who  visit 
his  town.  He  often  has  to  entertain  them  at  his  own 
expense,  and  not  infrequently  finds  it  advisable  to 
make  them  presents.  He  is  liable  at  any  time  to  be 
called  to  the  capital  of  the  province,  but  is  given  no 
compensation  for  the  cost  of  travelling  or  the  loss  of 
time.  If  he  does  not  speak  Spanish,  he  must  employ 
a clerk  {divcctorcillo). 

There  is  a great  deal  of  writing  to  be  done  at  the 
tribunal  and  as  the  allowance  for  clerk-hire  is  usually 
utterly  insufficient,  the  gobernadorcillo  must  make  up 
the  difference.  In  return  for  all  this,  he  is  allowed  a 
salary  of  two  dollars  per  month,  and  is  permitted  to 
carry  a cane ! If  he  does  not  “ squeeze  ” his  fellow- 


134 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


townsmen,  or  steal  public  funds,  he  is  apt  to  come 
out  badly  behind. 

While  the  office  is  nominally  filled  by  election  every 
two  years,  the  elective  system  is  of  such  a nature  that 


A TYPICAL  GOBERNADORCILLO  — SIQUIJOR 

service  can  readily  be  made  compulsory.  Wealthy 
men  are  chosen  for  the  place,  if  any  such  can  be  found, 
and  are  often  kept  in  office  for  years,  sorely  against 
their  will.  Yet  there  is  nothing  quite  so  dear  to 
the  heart  of  the  average  Philippine  native  as  a little 
authority  over  his  fellows,  and  in  spite  of  the  numer- 


M I N DAN AO 


135 


ous  drawbacks,  the  position  is  sometimes  earnestly 
sought. 

The  families  of  every  town  are  divided  into  groups 
of  from  forty  to  sixty,  each  under  a “ cabeza  de  Ba- 
rangay ,”  who  is  responsible  for  their  taxes.  If  he 
cannot  get  them  from  the  people,  he  must  pay  them 
out  of  his  own  pocket.  Excuses  are  useless.  For 
obvious  reasons,  men  of  means  are  chosen  for  this 
position,  and  though  nominally  elected  every  two 
years,  they  are  actually  kept  in  office  as  long  as  they 
have  anything  to  lose,  and  sometimes  longer.  I have 
seen  cabezas  suffer  confiscation  of  property  and  depor- 
tation, because  they  could  not  pay  debts  which  they 
did  not  owe. 

The  gobernadorcillo  has  a “ ministry,”  consisting  of 
the  first  and  second  tenientes  (lieutenants)  who  take 
his  place  in  his  absence ; other  tenientes  having  charge 
of  outlying  districts ; and  chiefs  of  police,  plantations, 
and  cattle. 

At  the  tribunal  is  maintained  a small  force  of  cuad- 
rilleros,  who  perform  police  duty,  and  are  supposed  to 
defend  the  town  against  bandits  and  the  like. 

A man  who  has  been  elected  teniente  or  gobernador- 
cillo, or  who  has  served  ten  years  as  a cabeza  de  Ba- 
rangay , is  numbered  among  the  “headmen”  of  the 
place. 

The  headmen  meet  at  the  tribunal  from  time  to 
time,  and  discuss  public  affairs  with  great  gravity. 


136  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

They  assemble  every  Sunday  morning,  and  headed  by 
the  gobernadorcillo,  and  frequently  also  by  a band  play- 
ing very  lively  airs,  they  march  to  the  convento  and 
escort  the  friar  to  the  church,  where  they  all  attend 
mass.  Their  state  dress  is  quite  picturesque.  Their 
white  shirts  dangle  outside  of  their  pantaloons  after 
the  Philippine  fashion,  and  over  them  they  wear  tight- 
fitting  jackets  without  tails,  which  reach  barely  to  their 
waists.  When  the  jacket  is  buttoned,  it  causes  the 
shirt  to  stand  out  in  a frill,  producing  a most  gro- 
tesque effect. 

The  gobernadorcillo  of  Ayala  proved  to  be  a very 
accommodating  old  fellow.  He  speedily  made  us  com- 
fortable in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  tribunal \ which 
afforded  space  for  our  hammocks,  and  was  furnished 
with  a table  and  wooden  benches.  As  there  were  no 
conveniences  for  cooking  about  the  building,  we  hired 
a man  next  door  to  prepare  our  meals  and  serve  them 
to  us,  and  the  plan  worked  successfully  after  he  had 
once  gauged  our  appetites.  We  fared  better  than  in 
Palawan,  getting  plenty  of  fruit,  fowls,  and  eggs,  but 
were  forced  to  content  ourselves  with  boiled  rice  in 
place  of  bread,  as  there  was  not  an  oven  in  the 
vicinity. 

The  villagers  were  a happy-go-lucky  set.  We  were 
rather  touched  by  their  never-failing  hospitality.  The 
Philippine  native  seems  always  ready  to  kill  his  last 
fowl  for  a stranger,  or  share  with  him  his  last  pot  of 


MINDANAO 


137 


rice.  When  we  stopped  at  a hut  and  asked  for  a 
drink,  its  inmates  were  loth  to  offer  us  water  in  the 
cocoanut-shell  cups  which  served  their  own  purpose, 
and  hunted  up  and  washed  old  tumblers,  or  even  sent 
to  some  neighbour’s  to  borrow  them.  With  a glass  of 
water  they  always  gave  us  a lump  of  panoche  (coarse 
brown  sugar)  that  we  might  “have  thirst”  — an  entirely 
unnecessary  precaution. 

Their  houses  were  like  those  of  the  poorer  civilized 
natives  throughout  the  archipelago.  The  typical  Phil- 
ippine house  rests  on  four  or  more  heavy  timbers 
which  are  firmly  set  in  the  ground,  and  its  floor  is 
raised  from  five  to  ten  feet  into  the  air.  There  is  not 
a nail  or  a peg  in  the  whole  structure.  The  frame  is 
of  bamboo,  tied  together  with  rattan.  The  sides  and 
roof  are  usually  of  nipa  palm,  although  the  former 
may  be  made  by  splitting  green  bamboos,  pounding 
the  halves  flat,  and  then  weaving  them  together;  while 
if  nipa  is  very  scarce,  the  roof  may  be  thatched  with 
the  long  grass  called  cogon. 

The  floor  is  usually  made  of  bamboo  strips,  with 
their  convex  sides  up.  They  are  tied  firmly  in  place 
in  such  a way  that  wide  cracks  are  left  between  them. 
The  windows  are  provided  with  swinging  shades,  which 
can  be  propped  open  during  the  day.  One  has  to 
climb  a ladder  to  enter  the  house. 

Often  there  is  but  one  room  for  cooking,  eating,  and 
sleeping.  The  cooking  is  done  over  an  open  fire, 


138 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


built  on  a heap  of  earth  in  one  corner,  and  smoke 
often  makes  a house  almost  uninhabitable.  In  the 
better  dwellings  there  is  a place  partitioned  off  for 
cooking,  usually  just  at  the  head  of  the  ladder,  while 
the  body  of  the  house  is  divided  into  two  or  more  rooms. 


NATIVE  HOUSE  OF  CANA  AND  NIPA 

Native  houses  of  this  sort  have  much  to  recommend 
them.  If  shaken  down  by  an  earthquake,  or  blown 
over  by  a typhoon,  no  one  gets  hurt;  for  the  materials 
used  are  too  light  to  do  harm  when  they  fall.  The 
ventilation  is  perfect,  and  the  air  keeps  much  cooler 
than  in  a tightly  closed  building. 


MINDANAO 


139 


Wealthy  natives  sometimes  build  houses  of  boards, 
with  galvanized  iron  roofs  and  limestone  foundations, 
but  they  are  very  much  more  expensive,  and  decidedly 
less  comfortable,  than  the  humbler  dwellings  of  cana 
(bamboo)  and  nip  a.  (Seepage  3 1 1 .) 

On  our  arrival  at  Ayala  we  began  our  collecting  at 
once,  but  found  ourselves  at  some  distance  from  forest, 
and  tramping  seemed  to  come  hard.  We  had  foolishly 
overworked,  and  needlessly  exposed  ourselves,  in  Pala- 
wan, and  the  day  of  reckoning  had  arrived  promptly, 
as  it  usually  does  in  such  a climate.  The  Doctor  came 
down  with  dysentery,  and  Moseley  with  fever,  while 
Bourns  and  I soon  became  so  disabled  by  unhealed 
cuts  and  ulcers  that  we  could  no  longer  get  to  the 
woods.  Mateo  held  out  longest,  but  finally  he,  too, 
had  a touch  of  fever. 

Fortunately,  we  were  in  a place  where  there  were  plenty 
of  native  hunters.  We  supplied  them  with  ammunition, 
and  in  some  cases  with  guns,  and  depended  on  them 
for  specimens,  while  we  deliberately  gave  most  of  our 
own  time  to  getting  well.  Sea-bathing  helped  us  all, 
and  we  were  soon  able  to  resume  work. 

After  making  extensive  collections,  we  returned  to 
Zamboanga  by  water.  It  was  after  sunset  when  we  got 
in.  We  were  held  up  by  gtiardias,  and  not  allowed  to 
unload  our  belongings  until  we  had  hunted  up  a custom 
officer,  which  seemed  a rather  needless  precaution,  as 
we  had  come  from  only  eighteen  miles  up  the  coast. 


140 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


We  decided  to  cross  at  once  to  Isabela,  the  capital 
of  Basilan,  a small  island  distant  some  eighteen  miles 
from  Zamboanga.  As  there  was  no  steamer  due  for 
some  time,  we  hired  a native  sail-boat.  Before  getting 
off,  we  experienced  some  of  the  inevitable  delays  which 
tend  to  give  the  new  arrival  in  the  Philippines  nerv- 
ous prostration.  As  an  old  Spaniard  once  remarked 
to  me,  “ In  your  country  time  is  gold ; here  in  the 
Philippines  it  is  — boiled  rice'.'  Just  as  we  were  ready 
to  start,  Mateo  had  a bad  attack  of  fever.  By  the  time 
he  was  well  enough  to  travel,  a two  days’  church-festival 
had  begun  and  our  men  refused  to  budge  until  it  was 
over. 

Meanwhile,  we  had  an  opportunity  every  evening 
to  watch  a remarkable  sight.  In  the  little  island  of 
Santa  Cruz,  just  in  front  of  the  town,  there  was  a 
roost  of  huge  fruit-bats,  which  measured  from  three  to 
four  and  a half  feet  across  their  wings. 

For  about  an  hour,  just  after  sun-down,  a dense 
black  column  of  the  creatures  whirled  up  out  of  the 
trees  to  a great  height,  and  then  spread  out  as  they 
scattered  to  their  feeding-grounds.  Many  of  them 
came  straight  toward  us,  and  we  admired  their  easy, 
rapid  flight  until  they  pitched  suddenly  into  the  neigh- 
bouring trees,  hung  themselves  head  down,  and  began 
to  squall  and  scramble  about  in  search  of  food. 

Early  in  the  morning  they  returned  to  their  roost, 
and  then  the  whirling  black  column  descended  and 


MINDANAO 


141 

disappeared  among  the  trees.  We  decided  to  go  over 
and  set  a nearer  look  at  them.  The  boat  which  we 
engaged  proved  too  small  to  accommodate  all  of  us, 
and  I was  crowded  out.  Determined  not  to  be  left 
behind,  I hastened  to  a neighbouring  Moro  settlement 
and  hired  a boatman  to  take  me  over.  When  we  were 
half  a mile  from  shore  I happened  to  glance  at  the 
upturned  bottoms  of  his  feet.  To  my  horror  I noted 
that  I could  see  the  bare  bones  of  one,  while  all  the 
toes  were  gone  from  the  other.  A moment  later  the 
rag  dropped  from  one  of  his  hands.  Joints  were  miss- 
ing from  several  of  his  fingers.  The  man  was  a leper. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  I kept  in  my  part  of  the  boat. 

When  we  reached  Santa  Cruz  I was  thirsty,  and 
finding  the  proprietor  of  a cocoanut  grove,  sent  him 
up  a tree  to  throw  me  down  a young  nut,  so  that  I 
might  get  a drink.  My  Moro  seized  it  as  soon  as  it 
fell,  partly  split  it  with  his  knife,  tore  it  apart  with  his 
leprous  fingers,  and  offered  it  to  me.  He  got  that 
nut  for  himself ! 

The  bat-roost  proved  to  be  in  an  impenetrable  man 
grove  swamp,  where  we  could  not  get  at  it.  I finally 
managed  to  find  a dozen  of  the  creatures  that  had 
strayed  off  by  themselves,  and  were  hanging  in  a tree 
near  the  edge  of  the  swamp.  I killed  three,  and  had 
a great  time  fishing  them  out  of  the  deep  black  mud. 
They  wrere  neither  handsome  nor  fragrant,  and  had 
any  one  then  told  me  that  the  day  was  coming  w'hen 


142 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


I would  not  only  eat  fruit-bats  but  be  very  thankful 
to  get  them,  I should  have  been  incredulous. 

On  the  morning  after  the  church-feast  was  over,  the 
men  came  to  carry  our  things  to  the  boat.  When  the 
last  chest  was  gone,  we  followed  ourselves,  only  to 
find  that  the  idiots  had  been  too  busy  loading  bag- 
gage to  heed  the  fact  that  the  tide  was  on  the  ebb. 
The  big,  clumsy  craft  in  which  we  were  to  sail  was 
hard  aground,  and  it  looked  as  if  we  should  have  to 
wait  another  day;  but  we  went  up  town,  hired  every 
native  in  sight,  and  finally  managed  to  drag  her  into 
deep  water. 

We  started  across  the  dangerous  Basilan  Straits  with 
a fair  wind,  but  it  died  out  when  we  were  half  over, 
leaving  us  becalmed.  Our  men  took  to  the  oars,  mean- 
while whistling  for  a breeze,  after  the  curious  Philip- 
pine fashion.  They  must  have  blown  the  wrong  tune. 
The  wind  came  with  great  promptness,  but  it  was 
straight  offshore,  and  brought  a furious  thunderstorm 
with  it.  We  were  driven  far  to  the  north,  and  were 
badly  pounded  by  a heavy  sea.  For  a time  things 
looked  rather  serious,  but  eventually  the  wind  died 
down,  the  sea  subsided,  and  just  at  dark  we  made  the 
entrance  to  the  narrow  channel  between  Basilan  and 
Malamaui,  on  which  Isabela  is  situated. 

Now  a new  difficulty  confronted  us.  Basilan  is  in- 
habited by  Moros  who  sometimes  forget  themselves. 
The  channel  is  picketed  at  night  by  native  troops,  to 


BASI  LAN 


143 


guard  against  a surprise,  and  sentries  have  orders  to 
fire  on  incoming  boats  that  do  not  show  lights.  Our 
stupid  men  had  known  this  all  the  time,  but  expecting 
to  get  in  before  dark,  had  neither  mentioned  it  to  us 
nor  provided  anything  with  which  to  make  a light. 

We  managed  to  get  our  kerosene  lamp  out,  and  to 
fill  and  ligdit  it.  The  wind  caused  the  flame  to  flare 

O 

and  break  the  chimney,  and  just  as  a sentry  hailed  us 
the-  lamp  went  out.  We  rather  expected  him  to  fol- 
low up  his  challenge  with  a rifle  bullet,  but  he  con- 
siderately held  his  fire,  and  we  finally  got  the  light 
to  going  again. 

When  we  reached  the  pier,  we  found  that  the  whole 
guard  had  turned  out.  Whether  they  took  us  for 
pirates,  I do  not  know.  At  all  events,  they  refused 
to  let  us  leave  our  boat  until  the  Doctor  had  been 
escorted  to  interview  the  governor,  who  promptly 
ordered  our  release.  He  had  us  shown  to  the  only 
vacant  quarters  in  town,  which  proved  to  be  in  the 
second  story  of  a board  house.  There  was  a gam- 
bling-joint in  full  blast  on  the  ground  floor.  The 
upper  rooms  had  evidently  been  vacant  for  some  time, 
as  a colony  of  bats  had  taken  possession  and  per- 
fumed the  whole  place.  Water  was  standing  in  pools, 
where  it  had  come  through  leaks  in  the  roof.  The 
Doctor  and  I had  both  escaped  seasickness  coming 
over,  but  we  were  very  landsick  when  we  got  ashore. 
All  in  all,  we  did  not  feel  very  comfortable,  but  we 


144 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


made  a virtue  of  necessity,  strung  our  hammocks,  and 
passed  a rather  miserable  night. 

In  the  morning  the  governor  very  kindly  sent  us 
tables  and  chairs,  and  after  airing  our  new  domicile 
thoroughly,  and  having  the  roof  patched,  we  got  on 
very  well. 

Isabela,  the  capital  of  Basilan,  is  a small  place  of 
less  than  1000  souls.  The  only  Spaniards  there  are 
the  officials  and  the  Jesuit  priest.  The  town  is  on 
high  ground,  which  slopes  sharply  down  to  the  edge 
of  the  channel  separating  Basilan  from  the  little  islet 
called  Malamaui.  This  channel,  although  extremely 
narrow,  is  very  deep,  and  large  vessels  can  come  close 
inshore.  Tremendous  currents  rush  through  it  with 
the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tides. 

Isabela  is  a supply  station  for  gunboats,  the  coal- 
yard and  magazines  being  located  in  Malamaui,  just 
across  from  the  town.  To  defend  the  important  stores 
which  they  contain  there  is  only  a ridiculous  old  lime- 
stone fort  on  a neighbouring  hill,  armed  with  two  or 
three  antiquated  smooth-bore  cannon,  and  garrisoned 
by  a few  marines. 

The  Moros  of  Basilan,  locally  called  Yacans , have 
always  borne  a bad  reputation,  but  at  the  time  of  our 
visit  they  were  held  in  check  by  a remarkable  man 
known  as  Dato  (Chief)  Pedro.  His  real  name  was 
Pedro  Cuevas.  At  one  time  he  had  been  confined  as 
a convict  at  the  penal  settlement  of  San  Ramon,  in 


B ASI  LAN 


145 


Mindanao,  where  he  had  been  sent  from  one  of  the 
northern  islands.  With  two  companions  he  worked  out 
a plan  of  escape.  After  behaving  so  well  as  to  quiet 
suspicion,  they  suddenly  attacked  their  guard,  when 
at  work  in  the  field,  killed  the  Spanish  officer  in 
command,  and  escaped,  taking  a carbine  with  them. 

That  night  they  reached  Ayala,  where  they  mur- 
dered a Chinaman,  plundered  his  shop,  and  stole  a 
boat  in  which  they  crossed  to  Basilan.  The  story 
goes  that  they  landed  at  a Moro  village,  where  Pedro 
called  for  the  dato , and  boldly  entered  his  house,  nar- 
rowly escaping  a lance  which  the  enraged  owner 
hurled  at  him  as  he  came  through  the  door.  Pedro 
at  once  challenged  him  to  come  out  and  fight,  which 
he  was  happy  to  do.  Arming  himself  with  a wooden 
shield  and  recovering  his  lance,  he  began  the  ridicu- 
lous prancing  with  which  the  people  of  his  tribe 
preface  the  throwing  of  a weapon ; whereupon  Pedro 
banged  away  with  his  old  carbine  and  killed  his  man, 
putting  a bullet  through  his  shield.  He  and  his  com- 
panions then  devoted  themselves  to  the  remaining 
Moros  with  such  effect  that  they  decided  they  would 
rather  fight  with  him  than  against  him. 

He  next  attacked  another  village,  performing  prodi- 
gies of  valour,  if  accounts  are  to  be  believed,  and  hav- 
ing numerous  narrow  escapes.  The  Moros  began  to 
believe  that  he  bore  a charmed  life,  and  as  there  is 
nothing  which  they  admire  so  much  as  personal  brav- 


146 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


ery,  he  soon  gained  a great  influence  over  them,  and 
they  finally  made  him  a dato. 

He  knew  his  people  and  ruled  them  with  an  iron 
hand,  punishing  the  slightest  opposition  to  his  will 
with  death.  At  first  he  did  his  own  killing,  but,  when 
his  reputation  was  once  firmly  established,  he  turned 
work  of  that  sort  over  to  his  subordinates.  If  he 
chose  to  drive  off  a herd  of  cattle,  and  the  owner 
ventured  to  object,  Pedro  only  said,  “ Cut  off  his  head,” 
and  it  was  done.  If  the  father  of  a girl  whom  he 
wished  to  add  to  his  large  circle  of  wives  protested, 
the  answer  was,  “ Cut  off  his  head.” 

Pedro  was  shrewd  enough  to  know  that  it  was  not 
worth  while  to  fight  the  Spaniards,  and  when  some  of 
his  unruly  subjects  made  an  unsuccessful  attack  on 
Zamboanga,  he  awaited  their  return,  and  gave  them  a 
vigorous  drubbing.  In  return  for  this  service  he  was 
forgiven  for  having  killed  a Spanish  officer  and  com- 
mitted a few  other  little  indiscretions.  At  the  time 
of  our  second  visit  to  Basilan,  in  1891,  the  governor 
was  in  constant  communication  with  Dato  Pedro,  who 
still  continued  to  keep  his  people  in  fairly  good  order, 
while,  if  the  Spanish  officials  happened  to  want  the 
head  of  one  of  his  subjects,  he  had  it  cut  off  and 
forwarded  at  once. 

During  our  stay,  he  invited  a former  acquaintance 
in  Mindanao  to  come  over  and  go  boar-hunting  with 
him.  The  Zamboangueno  accepted  the  invitation.  At 


B ASI  LAN 


147 


the  close  of  their  day's  sport  they  were  standing  in 
front  of  Pedro's  house,  when  a Moro  from  a neighbour- 
ing village  rode  up  on  a fine  horse.  The  visitor  ad- 
mired the  horse,  and  when  Pedro  asked  him  if  he 
would  like  it,  thoughtlessly  replied  in  the  affirmative. 
Decidedly  to  his  surprise,  his  host  picked  up  a rifle, 
took  deliberate  aim,  shot  the  Moro  dead,  and  pre- 
sented him  with  the  mount.  A hundred  similar  stories 
were  told  of  this  strange  man,  who,  himself  an  alien, 
had  succeeded  in  dominating  an  island  full  of  pirates; 
had  almost  succeeded,  I should  rather  say,  for  one  large 
village,  on  a hill  in  the  interior,  still  managed  to  hold 
out  against  him. 

Our  stay  in  Basilan  was  without  special  adventure, 
and  after  completing  our  work  there  we  returned  by 
steamer  to  Zamboanga. 


CHAPTER  VII 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO THE  MOROS 

When  we  returned  to  Mindanao,  it  was  our  inten- 
tion to  go  to  Uavao,  on  the  south  coast,  and  push 
into  the  interior  from  that  point;  but  we  were  forced 
to  abandon  this  plan.  Small  injuries  do  not  heal  readily 
under  the  conditions  to  which  we  had  been  subjected, 
and  three  of  our  party  were  practically  disabled  by 
ulcers  before  our  work  in  Basilan  was  completed. 

A Spanish  physician  whom  we  consulted  at  Zambo- 
anga warned  us  that  unless  these  sores  were  attended 
to  systematically  the  consequences  would  be  serious,  and 
we  finally  decided  to  go  up  the  coast  to  a little  Moro 
village,  near  which  there  were  said  to  be  very  fine  corals. 
In  order  to  collect  these  we  should  merely  have  to  sit  in 
our  boats  and  direct  the  divers,  and  with  only  this  easy 
work  on  hand,  we  hoped  to  be  able  to  get  into  good 
physical  condition  again. 

There  is  nothing  attractive  about  the  reputation  of 
the  Moros  of  Mindanao,  but  the  inhabitants  of  the  vil- 
lage which  we  proposed  to  visit  were  reported  to  be 
“ Moros  de paz"  and  unarmed,  so  that  we  felt  tolerably 
secure  from  danger. 


148 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  149 


We  accordingly  bought  all  the  empty  boxes  we  could 
find  in  Zamboanga,  to  pack  corals  in,  and  set  off  for 
El  Recodo,  where  we  rented  a house  from  a Chinaman 
and  began  work.  We  were  fortunate  enough  at  the 
outset  to  win  the  friendship  of  the  mandarin  who 
ruled  the  village,  and  were  soon  wandering  about  at 
all  hours  of  day  and  night  without  so  much  as  sticks 
in  our  hands,  to  the  great  amusement  and  admiration 
of  the  grim  Moslem  inhabitants,  who  never  wearied  of 
giving  us  very  significant  illustrations  of  how  they 
would  cut  our  throats  if  we  were  only  Spaniards. 

Although  we  had  seen  Moros  before,  both  in  Min- 
danao and  Basilan,  this  was  our  first  really  good  op- 
portunity to  observe  them.  The  inhabitants  of  this 
particular  village  were  supposed  to  be  especially  peace- 
able, and  entirely  without  arms.  We  settled  the  latter 
point  to  our  entire  satisfaction  by  offering  to  buy  some 
of  their  weapons.  The  number  of  barongs,  krises,  and 
lances  that  immediately  appeared  was  amazing.  As  to 
their  peaceableness : three  Chinamen  living  near  their 
village  had  been  cut  to  pieces  and  portions  of  their 
bodies  used  to  decorate  their  dwelling,  a few  days  before 
our  arrival  at  El  Recodo,  and  there  was  little  room  for 
doubt  as  to  who  had  done  the  deed. 

The  tribe  to  which  the  people  among  whom  we  now 
found  ourselves  belonged,  have  played  a very  important 
part  in  the  history  of  the  Philippines.  They  entered 
the  archipelago  from  Borneo  just  at  the  time  of  the 


150 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Spanish  discovery.  They  first  landed  in  Basilan,  but 
rapidly  spread  over  the  small  islands  of  the  Sulu  and 
Tawi  Tawi  groups,  and  eventually  occupied  the  whole 
coast  of  Mindanao,  as  well  as  Cagayan  Sulu,  Balabac, 
and  the  southern  third  of  Palawan.  Before  they  could 


MORO  HOUSES  — SULU 

complete  the  conquest  of  Palawan,  they  had  their  first 
serious  collision  with  Spanish  troops,  and  they  have 
not  since  been  able  to  extend  their  territory;  but  most 
of  what  they  had  already  taken  they  have  continued  to 
hold. 

Hostilities  between  the  Spaniards  and  the  Moros 
were  precipitated  by  an  unprovoked  attack  by  the  for- 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  151 


mer  on  one  of  the  Moro  chiefs  of  north  Mindanao.  The 
attacking  force  was  almost  annihilated,  and  the  fanatical 
passions  of  the  fierce  Moslem  warriors  were  thoroughly 
aroused.  They  forthwith  began  to  organize  forays  against 
the  Spanish  and  native  coast  towns  of  the  central  and 
northern  islands.  From  the  outset  they  met  with  great 
success,  and  their  piratical  expeditions  soon  became 
annual  events.  With  each  recurring  southeast  mon- 
soon, hordes  of  them  manned  their  war-praus  and 
sailed  for  the  north,  where  they  harried  the  coasts  until 
changing  winds  warned  them  to  turn  their  faces  home- 
ward. 

Thousands  of  captives  were  taken.  Men  were  com- 
pelled to  harvest  their  own  crops  for  the  benefit  of 
their  captors,  and  were  then  butchered  in  cold  blood ; 
while  women  and  children  were  carried  away,  the  for- 
mer to  enrich  the  seraglios  of  Moro  chiefs,  the  latter 
to  be  brought  up  as  slaves. 

Reminders  of  this  state  of  affairs  are  not  lacking  at 
the  present  day.  Near  many  of  the  more  important 
northern  villages  the  traveller  still  finds  old  stone 
towers,  which  show  evident  signs  of  neglect.  (See  illus- 
trations on  pages  254  and  283.)  Heavy  rains  have 
washed  the  mortar  from  the  chinks  between  their 
stones,  and  occasional  earthquakes  have  widened  the 
crevices  thus  formed,  but  the  injuries  go  unrepaired,  if 
not  unnoticed.  Twenty  years  ago  this  would  not  have 
happened,  for  the  village  watch-tower  was  then  a most 


152 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


important  institution.  Day  and  night,  during  the  time 
when  the  southwest  monsoon  was  blowing,  it  furnished  a 
vantage  point  for  vigilant  sentries  who  turned  keen  eyes 
seaward  and  watched  for  the  approach  of  a Moro  fleet. 
They  seldom  watched  a season  through  in  vain. 

For  two  and  a half  centuries  this  state  of  affairs  con- 
tinued. Emboldened  by  continued  success,  the  Moros 
did  not  confine  their  attention  to  defenceless  natives. 
Spanish  planters  and  government  officials  were  killed 
or  held  for  ransom.  The  special  delight  of  the  grim 
Moslem  warriors  was  to  capture  the  Spanish  priests 
and  friars,  toward  whom  they  displayed  the  bitterest 
hatred.  It  is  only  fair  to  state  that  this  feeling  was 
warmly  reciprocated  by  the  churchmen,  many  of  whom 
took  active  part  in  the  counter  attacks. 

It  should  not  be  supposed  that  the  Spaniards  tamely 
submitted  to  this  state  of  affairs.  Expedition  after 
expedition  was  organized.  Millions  of  dollars  and 
thousands  of  lives  were  wasted.  Temporary  successes 
were  gained,  but  they  resulted  in  no  permanent  advan- 
tage. On  several  occasions  landings  were  made  on 
Sulu  itself,  forts  built,  and  garrisons  established,  but 
the  troops  were  eventually  massacred  or  driven  from 
the  island.  The  steel  weapons  of  the  Moros  were  of 
excellent  quality,  and  for  many  years  they  were  really 
better  armed  than  were  the  soldiers  sent  against  them ; 
but  such  cannon  and  rifles  as  they  possessed  were 
antiquated,  and  the  improvement  in  firearms  brought 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  153 


to  the  Spaniards  an  advantage  in  which  the  Moros 
did  not  share  to  any  great  extent.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  the  day  of  light-draught  steam  gunboats  and 
rapid-fire  guns  that  piracy  was  finally  checked. 

An  efficient  patrol  of  gunboats  was  at  last  estab- 
lished. The  Moro  praus  were  forbidden  to  put  to  sea 
without  a written  permit  from  the  nearest  Spanish 
governor,  and  were  ordered  to  fly  the  Spanish  flag. 
When  a prau  was  encountered  that  did  not  show  the 
flag,  or  could  not  produce  a pasaporte , it  was  rammed 
and  cut  in  two,  or  sunk  by  the  fire  of  machine  guns. 
No  quarter  was  given. 

As  opportunity  offered,  the  gunboats  shelled  the 
villages,  which  were  built  over  the  sea  and  so  could 
be  easily  reached.  The  town  of  Sulu,  which  had 
always  been  the  seat  of  the  Moro  government,  and 
the  residence  of  the  reigning  Sultans,  was  destroyed  in 
1876,  and  a Spanish  military  post  established  in  its 
place.  At  first  the  Moros  had  an  unpleasant  habit  of 
dropping  in  and  decimating  the  garrison ; but  it  was 
constantly  reinforced,  and  from  1876  to  the  present 
day  Spanish  occupation  has  been  nearly  continuous. 

Other  points  in  Mindanao,  Basilan,  Sulu,  and  Tawi 
Tawi  were  taken  and  fortified.  More  of  the  coast  vil- 
lages were  burned  and  the  inhabitants  driven  inland, 
and  there  finally  arose  a sort  of  armed  truce,  which 
was  not  infrequently  broken  by  each  of  the  parties  to 
it.  This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  at  the  time  of 


154 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


our  visit,  and  as  I have  said,  it  was  not  without  some 
misgivings  that  we  took  up  our  abode  on  the  outskirts 
of  a Moro  village. 

The  houses  at  El  Recodo  were  built  on  piles  over 
the  sea,  as  Moro  houses  always  are  when  circumstances 
will  allow  it.  Some  quiet  cove  is  selected  for  the  site 
of  a village,  in  order  that  it  may  not  be  injured  by 
heavy  waves.  Rude  bridges  afford  communication  with 
the  shore,  and  praus  are  tied  at  the  doors,  so  that 
their  owners  can  board  them  and  be  off  at  a moment’s 
notice.  (See  illustrations  on  pages  150  and  167.) 

The  men  are  of  medium  height,  and  their  physical 
development  is  often  superb.  They  dress  in  panta- 
loons, waistcoat,  jacket,  sash,  and  turban.  Their  gar- 
ments are  gaudily  coloured,  and  are  often  showily 
embroidered  or  otherwise  ornamented.  Their  panta- 
loons are  usually  skin-tight  below  the  knee,  and  loose 
above.  If  fighting  is  expected,  however,  they  wear 
loose  black  trousers.  The  rank  of  a Moro  is  indicated 
by  the  way  he  ties  his  turban. 

All  males  above  sixteen  years  of  age  go  armed, 
unless  prevented  from  doing  so  by  the  Spanish.  The 
Moros  make  their  own  steel  weapons,  which  are  often 
beautifully  finished,  and  are  always  admirably  adapted 
to  the  purposes  for  which  they  are  intended.  In  close 
combat  they  usually  trust  to  a barong — a weapon  fash- 
ioned somewhat  on  the  plan  of  a butcher’s  cleaver, 
with  thick  back  and  thin  razor  edge.  It  is  capable 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  155 


of  inflicting  fearful  injury.  To  lop  off  a head,  arm,  or 
leg  with  a barong  is  merely  child's  play.  The  strong 
and  skilful  warrior  prides  himself  on  being  able  to 
halve  an  opponent,  if  he  can  catch  him  fairly  across 
the  small  of  the 
back.  Execution- 
ers use  heavy,  two- 
handed  knives  for 
beheading  their 
victims. 

The  straight  kris 
is  a narrow-bladed, 
double  - edged 
s w o r d,  used  for 
cutting  and  thrust- 
ing. The  serpent 
kris , with  its  wavy 
double  - edged 
blade,  is  used  for 
thrusting  and  in- 
flicts a horrible 
wound. 

The  campilan  is 
a straight  - edged, 
two-handed  sword,  with  a blade  wide  at  the  tip,  and 
steadily  narrowing  toward  the  hilt.  It  is  used  for 
cutting  only,  and  is  tremendously  effective. 

Under  all  circumstances,  a Moro  carries  barong , kris. 


MORO  ARMS 


Taken  from  left  to  right  they  are  barong , ser- 
pent kris,  campilan.  ^rw-dagger,  executioners 
knife,  and  straight  kris 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


156 

or  campilan  thrust  into  his  sash.  If  he  expects  seri- 
ous trouble,  he  has  in  addition  a shield  of  light  wood, 
and  a lance  with  a broad,  keen  head.  (See  page  170.) 

His  conveniences  for  working  steel  are  of  the  sim- 
plest, but  the  blades  which  he  produces  are  highly 
tempered  and  often  beautifully  finished.  He  some- 
times works  silver  in  with  the  steel,  or  even  inlays 
it  with  gold.  The  hilts  of  his  side-arms  are  of  hard 
polished  wood  or  ivory,  and  are  sometimes  handsomely 
carved. 

He  is  crazy  to  get  hold  of  firearms,  but  seldom  suc- 
ceeds. In  any  event  he  is  usually  a very  bad  marks- 
man. 

Moro  women  are  inordinately  fond  of  bright  colours, 
scarlet  and  green  being  their  favourites.  Their  gar- 
ments are  a skin-tight  waist,  which  shows  every  line 
of  the  bust  and  arms,  a baggy  divided  skirt,  and  a 
jabul  made  by  sewing  together  the  two  ends  of  a 
long  piece  of  cloth.  The  j a foil  is  draped  about  the 
body  in  various  ways,  and  may  be  thrown  over  the 
head  to  keep  off  the  sun. 

Moro  children  usually  possess  clothes,  like  those  of 
their  elders,  but  up  to  the  age  of  puberty  they  seldom 
make  much  use  of  them,  as  most  of  their  time  is  spent 
in  the  water.  They  swim  and  dive  like  little  ducks. 
In  passing  through  a village  in  a canoe  I have  often 
seen  a crowd  of  children  standing  on  the  edge  of  a 
house-platform,  while  one  of  their  number  repeated 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  157 


MORO  CHILDREN  — SULU 

some  formula,  until,  at  a given  word,  they  all  jumped 
into  the  water,  and  tried  to  see  which  could  remain 
under  longest.  They  never  deigned  to  swim  around 
my  boat,  with  its  wide  outriggers,  but  simply  dived 
and  went  under  it. 

The  men  are  very  skilful  boatmen  and  sailors.  Their 
praus,  which  are  carved  out  of  logs  with  great  skill,  are 


158 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


frail-looking  affairs,  but  bamboo  outriggers  prevent  their 
sinking  even  when  filled  with  water.  In  bow  and  keel 
they  are  sharp  as  a knife,  and  they  pass  through  the 
water  with  very  little  resistance.  Most  of  them  carry 
small  sails,  but  their  crews  are  always  provided  with 
long,  slender  paddles.  In  fact,  the  paddles  are  so  long 
that  they  have  to  be  put  into  the  water  with  a peculiar 
sidewise  sweep.  The  Moro  stroke  is  very  odd.  As 
the  paddle  is  brought  into  the  water,  edgewise,  it  is 
struck  near  the  blade  against  the  side  of  the  boat ; it 
is  then  carried  quickly  back,  and  at  the  end  of  the 
stroke  the  blade  is  brought  out  by  depressing  the 
handle  until  it  hits  on  the  other  side  of  the  boat. 
The  two  clicking  sounds  thus  produced  enable  the 
men  to  keep  perfect  time.  Of  course  the  handles  of 
paddles  on  opposite  sides  cross  each  other  as  the 
stroke  is  completed,  and  a war  canoe  rushing  on,  with 
kettledrums  beating,  men  swinging  and  paddles  cross- 
ing in  perfect  time,  is  a sight  that  one  is  not  likely 
soon  to  forget. 

As  a rule,  the  men  consider  it  beneath . their  dignity 
to  engage  in  manual  labour.  What  are  slaves  for? 
They  do  condescend  to  dive  for  pearls,  however,  and 
their  performances  are  almost  incredible.  I have  held 
the  watch  on  them  while  they  remained  under  water 
from  two  to  three  minutes.  We  once  sent  the  man- 
darin of  the  village  into  “black  water”  for  a certain 
kind  of  coral  which  we  believed  could  be  found  there. 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  159 


He  came  up  with  blood  running  from  nose  and  ears, 
but  he  brought  the  coral. 

The  Sultan  of  Sulu  is  the  ruler  of  all  the  Moros, 
although  his  authority  is  at  present  not  well  established 
in  Mindanao,  where  there  are  two  subordinate  Sultans. 

Under  the  Sultan  of  Sulu  are  a Regent,  who  acts 
in  his  place  should  he  be  absent,  a Minister  of  War, 
and  a Minister  of  Justice,  as  well  as  numerous  datos 
or  chiefs.  Each  village  is  directly  under  a mandarin. 

The  spiritual  welfare  of  the  people  is  looked  after 
by  panditas,  or 
priests,  who  are 
in  turn  subject 
to  cherifs.  The 
latter  dignitaries 
have  authority  in 
temporal  as  well 
as  spiritual  affairs, 
and  their  office  is 

MOSQUE  OF  SULTAN  HARUN  — SULU 

hereditary. 

The  Mohammedanism  of  the  Moros  seems  to  be  of 
a rather  washed-out  description.  Their  mosques  are 
built  of  bamboo  and  nipa , and  are  far  from  imposing. 

Their  language  is  said  to  be  based  on  Sanskrit  roots, 
and  is  written  with  Arabic  characters. 

We  found  them  very  satisfactory  helpers,  and  the 
energy  and  industry  which  they  displayed  were  in 
marked  contrast  to  the  listless  idleness  of  the  Zam- 


i6o 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


boanguenos  whom  we  had  previously  employed.  To 
be  sure,  there  were  certain  kinds  of  work  that  Moros 
would  not  do  at  all,  but  what  they  did,  they  did 
with  vim. 

They  furnished  us  with  boats  and  divers,  and  we 
had  only  to  float  over  the  clear,  quiet  waters  of  our 
little  bay,  and  point  out  the  corals  that  we  wanted. 
A diver  would  quietly  slip  over  the  side,  swim  down 
to  the  bottom  with  perfect  ease,  and  if  possible  wrench 
one  of  the  desired  specimens  free.  If  it  did  not  yield, 
he  would  come  back  to  the  surface,  get  a machete, 
and,  diving  again,  would  hold  the  specimen  with  one 
hand  and  chop  away  with  the  other  until  he  cut  it 
loose. 

The  Moros  at  first  thought  we  were  joking  when  we 
said  that  we  wanted  coral,  but  when  they  found  that 
we  were  really  foolish  enough  to  pay  for  it,  the  unem- 
ployed men  and  boys  went  to  work  on  their  own  hook, 
and  brought  it  to  us  by  the  boat-load.  Ten  cents  per 
load  was  about  their  idea  of  a fair  price,  and  we  ob- 
tained a magnificent  collection.  While  men  and  boys 
were  diving  for  us,  the  women  and  girls  were  busy 
shredding  cocoanut  husks,  and  preparing  for  us  a soft, 
elastic  fibre  which  we  found  to  be  a perfect  material 
for  packing  the  most  delicate  specimens. 

Their  enterprise  was  shown  in  other  ways.  One 
day  a woman  brought  me  a starfish,  of  a kind  that 
I had  never  seen.  I gave  her  a quarter,  and  told  her 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  161 


to  bring  more.  The  next  morning  I was  presented  with 
between  four  and  five  bushels  of  the  same  sort ! 

There  was  a beautiful  snow-white  deer  at  El  Recodo, 
which  was  perfectly  tame,  and  roamed  about  at  will. 


MOROS  FENCING  WITH  STRAIGHT  KRISES  — SULU 


Some  years  before,  a little  boy  had  found  two  tiny 
fawns  in  the  brush.  One  of  them  was  spotted,  the 
other  white.  He  caught  them  both,  and  started  back 
for  the  village  with  one  under  each  arm,  but  the  way 
was  long  and  the  sun  hot.  Finally  he  had  to  drop 


1 62 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  spotted  fawn,  but  the  white  one  he  bore  home  in 
triumph.  His  older  sister  brought  it  up,  and  it  would 
come  instantly  at  her  call.  She  was  in  the  habit  of 
holding  certain  leaves,  of  which  it  was  very  fond,  be- 
tween her  teeth.  It  would  carefully  put  its  fore  feet 
on  her  shoulders,  and  take  its  food  from  between  her 
lips.  The  girl  was  handsome,  and  usually  gayly  dressed, 
and  she  made  a striking  picture  with  her  snowy  and 
graceful  pet. 

Bourns  and  I were  sufficiently  versed  in  diplomacy 
to  know  that  the  way  to  win  the  hearts  of  the  older 
people  was  through  the  little  ones,  and  we  always  kept 
a supply  of  copper  coins  and  lumps  of  sugar  on  hand 
for  our  diminutive  acquaintances.  The  bread  thus 
cast  upon  the  waters  returned  to  us  with  unexpected 
promptness.  Toward  the  close  of  our  stay,  we  were 
honoured  with  an  invitation  to  attend  a religious  fes- 
tival, to  which  the  other  members  of  the  party  were 
not  bidden.  Great  preparations  had  been  making  for 
several  days,  and  we  had  been  anxious  to  see  the  per- 
formance. 

It  came  off  in  the  evening.  When  we  reached  the 
house  of  the  mandarin , we  found  in  one  corner  of  it 
a most  remarkable  artificial  tree,  composed  of  sugar- 
cane and  other  edible  materials.  It  was  hung  with 
ornaments,  all  of  which  were  good  to  eat. 

Moro  men,  from  all  the  region  round,  soon  began 
to  come  in.  They  were  armed,  but  on  entering  de- 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO 


163 


posited  their  wicked-looking  weapons  under  the  tree. 
It  took  a deal  of  explanation  on  the  part  of  our  host, 


MORO  CHIEFS  — MINDANAO 

the  mandarin , before  they  were  reconciled  to  the  pres- 
ence of  two  white  men ; but  we  dealt  out  cigarettes 


164 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


with  a liberal  hand,  and  did  our  best  to  be  agreeable. 
The  mutterings  finally  subsided,  and  the  ceremony 
began.  An  old  pandita  began  to  read,  or  rather  chant, 
from  a book  written  in  Arabic.  What  the  volume  was 
we  could  not  learn.  After  chanting  two  or  three  lines, 
he  paused,  while  the  whole  assembly  took  them  up  after 
him.  This  continued  for  an  hour,  when  women  appeared 
with  refreshments.  Bourns  and  I were  invited  to  eat 
off  the  box  that  served  the  mandarin  for  a table,  which 
was,  of  course,  a great  honour.  They  gave  us  separate 
dishes,  however,  and  I fancy  that  they  threw  them  away 
after  we  had  finished. 

I will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  delicacies  with 
which  we  were  served.  We  knew  altogether  too 
much  about  some  of  them,  having,  unfortunately,  seen 
them  prepared,  and  never  were  stomachs  of  mortals 
more  severely  tried.  Chanting  and  feasting  alternated 
with  each  other  at  tolerably  regular  intervals.  Con- 
siderable quantities  of  a drink,  which  I fancy  was  not  in 
strict  conformity  with  Mohammedan  teachings,  had  been 
consumed,  and  the  men  began  to  grow  hilarious.  They 
showed  a decided  tendency  to  get  their  weapons  from 
under  the  tree,  and  to  dance  and  flourish  them  about. 
We  decided  that  the  time  for  going  had  come,  espe- 
cially as  we  were  both  very  sick  at  our  stomachs,  and 
had  no  desire  to  create  a scene ; so  we  excused  our- 
selves. 

When  we  awoke  the  next  day,  the  festivities  were 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDANAO  165 


still  in  progress ; but  the  sounds  which  we  heard  were 
suggestive  of  such  extremely  high  spirits  that  we 
thought  it  prudent  to  remain  at  home.  The  per- 
formance ended  with  the  eating  of  the  artificial  tree, 
and  all  that  was  on  it,  after  which  the  assembly 
broke  up. 

We  continued  on  good  terms  with  our  strange  hosts 
until  the  close  of  our  stay,  and  they  then  took  us 
back  to  Zamboanga  in  their  boats.  From  this  point 
we  sailed  for  Ilo  Ilo. 

Upon  our  second  expedition  to  the  Philippines, 
Bourns  and  I again  visited  Mindanao  and  Basilan, 
after  which  we  decided  to  attempt  to  work  in  Sulu 
and  Tawi  Tawi.  I shall  narrate  our  experience  in 
the  latter  islands  before  continuing  the  story  of  our 
first  trip. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


SULU 

I have  already  mentioned  the  fact  that  when  we 
first  touched  at  Sulu,  in  1887,  heavy  fighting  was 
going  on  between  the  Spanish  garrison  and  the  Moros, 
so  that  it  was  useless  for  us  to  attempt  to  work  there. 
Bourns  and  I returned  to  the  island  in  September, 
1891,  and  I confess  it  was  not  without  misgivings. 
Friendly  Moros  in  Mindanao  and  Basilan  had  passed 
their  hands  suggestively  across  their  throats  when  we 
had  mentioned  our  intention  of  visiting  Sulu,  or  Jolo, 
as  they  called  it.  Government  officials  in  Mindanao 
and  Basilan  had  strongly  advised  us  to  keep  away. 

Not  only  were  the  Joloanos  “ the  Moros  of  the 
Moros,”  and  bitterly  hostile  toward  all  outsiders,  but 
additional  danger  to  us  arose  from  the  fact  that  a mem- 
ber of  our  party  had  shot  and  killed  one  of  their  tribe 
in  Mindanao.  The  man  was  running  amuck,  butchering 
women  and  children,  and  there  was  no  other  way  to 
stop  him ; but  his  brothers  had  not  taken  kindly  to  his 
death,  and  as  one  of  them  lived  in  Sulu,  we  had  a 
blood-feud  on  our  hands. 

General  Arolas,  then  governor  of  the  island,  is  a 


SU  LU 


167 


MORO  VILLAGE  AT  LOW  TIDE  — SULU 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


168 

man  with  a history.  He  has  always  been  an  out- 
spoken republican,  ready  to  fight  for  his  convictions. 
In  the  days  when  his  party  triumphed  in  Spain,  he  is 
said  to  have  cast  the  royal  throne  out  of  a window, 
with  his  own  hands,  in  order  to  show  his  respect  for 
its  former  occupants. 

After  the  fall  of  the  Spanish  republic  he  continued 
to  display  what  was  considered  unseemly  activity,  and 
there  is  little  doubt  that  when  he  was  honoured  with 
an  appointment  as  governor  of  Sulu,  it  was  with  the 
intention  of  exiling  him  to  a place  from  which  he  was 
not  likely  to  return.  He  found  the  town  unhealthful, 
the  defences  inadequate,  and  the  garrison  in  constant 
danger  of  annihilation ; but  he  is  a man  of  many 
resources  and  tremendous  energy,  and  in  spite  of  un- 
favourable conditions  he  at  once  set  himself  to  improv- 
ing things.  He  made  prisoners  of  the  Moros,  and 
compelled  them  to  work  in  strengthening  the  defences 
until  these  had  been  made  impregnable.  He  improved 
the  sanitation  of  the  town,  changing  it  from  a fever 
centre  to  an  unusually  healthful  place.  He  constructed 
water-works,  built  a splendid  market,  established  a free- 
school  system,  and  thoroughly  equipped  a hospital. 
Sulu  soon  became  the  wonder  of  the  Philippines. 

Meanwhile,  he  was  making  soldiers  of  his  slovenly 
native  troops.  After  putting  his  town  in  satisfactory 
condition,  and  teaching  his  men  how  to  shoot,  he  first 
took  several  Moro  villages,  and  later  sent  to  Manila 


SULU 


169 


for  permission  to  attack  the  capital,  Maibun.  It  is 
said  that  his  request  was  three  times  refused,  and  he 
was  warned  that  his  force  would  be  wiped  out  should 
he  make  the  attempt. 

One  evening  he  summoned  the  captain  of  a gun- 
boat which  was  lying  in  the  harbour,  ordered  him  to 
take  up  position  off  Maibun,  and  open  fire  on  the 
town  at  dawn  the  following  morning.  The  officer 
refused.  Arolas  is  reported  to  have  given  him  his 
choice  between  obeying  the  order  (which,  by  the  way, 
he  had  no  authority  to  give,  since  the  land  and  naval 
forces  were  independent  of  each  other)  and  facing  a 
firing-squad  in  the  plaza.  The  officer  decided  to  go  to 
Maibun,  and  a strong  guard  was  placed  on  his  vessel, 
to  see  that  he  did  not  reconsider  his  determination. 

At  eleven  o’clock  Arolas  put  himself  at  the  head  of 
his  two  regiments,  had  ammunition  passed,  and  gave 
the  order  to  march.  The  men  had  no  idea  where 
they  were  going,  but  before  daylight  found  themselves 
hidden  in  the  rear  of  the  Moro  capital.  Meanwhile 
the  gunboat  had  arrived,  and  the  enemy  were  busy 
training  their  rude  artillery  on  her.  Promptly  at  dawn 
she  opened  fire,  and  as  the  pirates  replied  for  the  first 
time,  Arolas  and  his  men  swarmed  over  their  rear 
palisade,  taking  them  completely  by  surprise.  They 
fought  desperately,  but  suffered  a crushing  defeat. 
The  Sultan  contrived  to  escape,  but  many  important 
chiefs  were  killed,  the  heavy  guns  taken,  and  the  forti- 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


170 

fications  destroyed.  Arolas  followed  up  his  advantage, 
and  attack  succeeded  attack  until  the  fanatical  Mos- 
lems were  cowed  as  never  before. 

Then  came  an  armed  truce,  which  was  still  in  force  at 
the  time  of  our  second  visit.  Arolas  had  several  times 


FULLY  ARMED  MOROS  — SULU 


escaped  unscathed  from  deadly  peril,  and  the  Moros 
believed  that  he  bore  a charmed  life.  They  called  him 
“ papa,”  and  when  “ papa  ” gave  orders  they  were  treated 
with  great  respect.  In  his  dealings  with  them  he  was 
just,  but  absolutely  merciless.  Every  threat  that  he 
made  was  carried  out  to  the  letter.  For  once  the 
Joloanos  had  met  their  master,  and  they  knew  it. 


SU  LU 


171 


We  had  often  heard  of  the  governor's  unconvention- 
ality, and  were  not  particularly  surprised  to  find  him  in 
pajamas  when  we  called  on  him  in  his  office,  at  eleven. 
He  greeted  us  most  cordially,  and  in  the  course  of  the 
conversation  which  followed,  took  occasion  to  express 
his  admiration  for  our  country,  as  the  type  of  what  a 
republic  should  be,  adding  that  if  he  were  not  a 
Spaniard  he  would  be  an  American. 

We  asked  him  whether  he  would  allow  us  to  hunt 
outside  of  the  town,  and  he  readily  gave  his  consent, 
saying  that  while  he  could  not  guarantee  our  safety 
he  thought  that  if  we  followed  his  directions  we  should 
come  through  all  right.  The  directions  were  simplicity 
itself:  “ If  you  meet  armed  Moros  outside  of  the  town, 
order  them  to  lay  down  their  weapons  and  retire ; if 
they  do  not  instantly  obey,  shoot  them.” 

After  giving  us  some  further  advice,  he  summoned  a 
renegade  Moro,  one  Toolawee,  who  served  as  guide  and 
scout  for  his  own  expeditions,  and  was  “ Minister  of 
War”  to  the  nominal  Sultan.  Repeating  in  his  pres- 
ence the  instructions  just  given  to  us,  he  directed  him  to 
take  enough  of  his  own  people  to  put  up  a good  fight, 
and  accompany  us  each  day. 

Our  future  guide  was  a character.  A Moro  by  birth 
and  training,  he  had  thrown  in  his  lot  with  the 
Spaniards.  As  a slight  safeguard  against  possible 
backsliding  he  was  allowed  a fine  house  within  the 
walls , where  he  kept  several  wives  and  some  forty 


172 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


slaves.  Arolas  reasoned  that  rather  than  lose  so  exten- 
sive an  establishment,  he  would  behave  himself.  Later 
we  had  reason  for  believing  that  the  precaution  was  a 
wise  one. 

Sulu  was  in  a rather  disturbed  condition  when  we 
arrived.  Some  time  before  it  had  been  decreed  that  the 
Sultan  should  hold  office  under  the  “ protection  ” of 
Spain,  and  the  rightful  ruler  had  been  ordered  to 
Manila,  in  order  that  he  might  be  duly  invested  with 
authority.  Taking  warning  from  the  fate  of  a predeces- 
sor, who  had  been  summoned  to  the  capital  and  made  a 
prisoner  there,  he  had  declined  to  go.  The  Spaniards 
had  then  selected  a prominent  chief,  and  “ appointed  ” 
him  Sultan.  He  had  consented  to  visit  the  capital,  and 
had  been  duly  invested  with  authority  under  the  impos- 
ing title  “ His  Excellency  Paduca  Majasari  Malauna 
Amiril  Mauinin  Sultan  Harun  Narrasid.”  (See  illustra- 
tion on  page  187.) 

Sultan  Harun  had  not  proved  an  unqualified  success. 
Although  backed  by  Spanish  bayonets,  his  following 
among  his  own  people  was  small.  He  lived  in  a palace, 
which  incidentally  served  the  purpose  of  a fort,  and  he 
was  in  constant  fear  of  assassination.  Within  five  hun- 
dred yards  of  his  dwelling  was  a settlement  of  hostiles, 
who  showed  a strong  tendency  to  utilize  him  as  a target 
for  rifle  practice  whenever  an  opportunity  presented 
itself. 

The  rightful  Sultan  (see  illustration  on  page  177),  on 


SU  LU 


173 


THE  OLD  SULTANA  OF  SULU,  WITH  BODY-GUARD 
Taken  as  she  was  leaving  the  house  of  General  Arolas 

the  other  hand,  had  a very  strong  following,  estimated  at 
10,000  fighting  men.  He  was  young,  and  according  to 
all  accounts  rather  weak-minded,  and  his  mother,  known 


1/4 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


far  and  wide  as  the  Sultana,  was  the  real  power  behind 
the  throne.  This  woman  had  a strange  history.  A 
Visayan  girl  by  birth,  she  had  been  captured  by  the 
Moros,  and  brought  to  Sulu  as  a slave.  Her  beauty  had 
attracted  the  reigning  Sultan,  who  had  fallen  in  love  with 
her  and  made  her  his  first  wife.  She  seems  not  to  have 
been  very  deeply  enamoured  of  him,  however.  At  all 
events,  she  is  believed  to  have  accelerated  his  departure 
from  this  life  with  a large  dose  of  corrosive  sublimate. 

She  then  married  his  successor,  wearied  of  him  in 
time,  and  he,  too,  died  very  suddenly.  After  Harun 
had  been  declared  Sultan  by  the  Spanish,  she  sent  him 
an  offer  of  marriage,  but  he  replied  that  he  could  not 
think  of  accepting  it,  as  he  wished  to  die  a natural  death. 
She  seemed  to  have  a mania  for  poisoning  people.  By 
some  means  she  learned  that  we  had  a stock  of  corrosive 
sublimate,  and  sent  to  beg  some  from  us. 

She  was  a very  bright  woman,  with  a decided  genius 
for  organization  and  command,  and  she  planned  and 
carried  out  a great  deal  of  mischief.  She  did  not  dare 
to  oppose  Arolas  openly,  however,  and  when  he  one  day 
invited  her  to  come  to  town  and  see  him,  she  came.  We 
were  fortunate  enough  to  get  a snap-shot  at  her  as  she 
was  being  carried  out  of  his  grounds,  surrounded  by  her 
body-guard,  and  the  picture  obtained  is  reproduced  on 
page  173. 

Harun,  the  old  Sultana,  and  in  fact  all  the  prominent 
chiefs,  tacitly  admitted  the  authority  of  “ papa,”  and 


SU  LU 


175 


stood  in  dread  of  the  terrible  vengeance  which  he  dealt 
out  to  evil-doers ; but  with  the  best  of  intentions  they 
would  not  always  have  been  able  to  control  their  fa- 
natical followers,  for  the  Sulu  Moro  is  a born  warrior, 
and  chafes  under  restraint.  He  disdains  to  work,  and 
expects  his  wants  to  be  supplied  by  his  wives  and 
slaves.  He  gives  much  time  to  the  care  of  his  arms, 
and  to  perfecting  himself  in  their  use.  He  tries  to 
terrify  an  opponent  by  making  hideous  faces,  uses  his 
shield  very  skilfully,  and  keeps  his  legs  in  constant 
motion  so  that  a blow  below  the  shield  may  not 
disable  them.  In  battle  he  is  the  bravest  of  the 
brave. 

Inhuman  cruelty  is  one  of  his  most  prominent  char- 
acteristics, and  he  will  cut  down  a slave  merely  to 
try  the  edge  of  a new  barong. 

Hardly  a night  passed  during  our  stay  at  Sulu  that 
marauders  were  not  in  evidence  near  the  town.  They 
took  pot-shots  at  the  sentries,  stole  cattle,  and  made 
themselves  generally  disagreeable. 

Finally,  there  was  a rumour  that  a band  of  juramen- 
tados  was  about  to  attack  the  place.  Now  a jura- 
mentado  is  a most  unpleasant  sort  of  individual  to 
encounter.  The  Moros  believe  that  one  who  takes 
the  life  of  a Christian  thereby  increases  his  chance  of 
a good  time  in  the  world  to  come;  the  more  Chris- 
tians killed,  the  brighter  the  prospect  for  the  future, 
and  if  one  is  only  fortunate  enough  to  be  himself  killed 


176 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


while  slaughtering  the  enemies  of  the  faithful,  he  is  at 
once  transported  to  the  seventh  heaven. 

From  time  to  time  it  happens  that  one  of  them 
wearies  of  this  life,  and  desiring  to  take  the  shortest 
road  to  glory  he  bathes  in  a sacred  spring,  shaves  off 
his  eyebrows,  dresses  in  white,  and  presents  himself 
before  a pandita  to  take  solemn  oath  ( juramentar ) to 
die  killing  Christians.  He  then  hides  a kris  or  barong 
about  his  person,  or  in  something  that  he  carries,  and 
seeks  the  nearest  town.  If  he  can  gain  admission,  he 
snatches  his  weapon  from  its  concealment  and  runs 
amuck,  slaying  every  living  being  in  his  path  until  he 
is  finally  himself  despatched.  So  long  as  the  breath 
of  life  remains  in  him,  he  fights  on. 

Eye-witnesses  have  repeatedly  informed  me  that  they 
have  seen  juramentados  seize  the  barrel  of  a rifle,  on 
being  bayoneted,  and  drive  the  steel  into  themselves 
further,  in  order  to  bring  the  soldier  at  the  other  end 
of  the  piece  within  striking  distance  and  cut  him  down. 

The  number  of  lives  taken  by  one  of  these  mad 
fanatics  is  sometimes  almost  incredible,  but  he  is  event- 
ually killed  himself,  and  his  relatives  have  a celebration 
when  the  news  of  his  death  reaches  them.  They 
always  insist  that  just  as  night  is  coming  on  they  see 
him  riding  by  on  a white  horse,  bound  for  the  abode 
of  the  blessed. 

All  in  all,  it  looked  as  if  we  might  not  lack  for 
excitement  while  hunting  in*Sulu.  Our  first  care,  after 


SULU 


1 77 


THE  RIGHTFUL  SULTAN  OF  SULU,  WITH  BODY-GUARD 


178 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


visiting  the  governor,  was  to  get  a house.  There  was 
nothing  to  be  had  within  the  town,  but  by  going  out- 
side of  the  walls  we  secured  a good  board  building, 
comfortably  near  a large  blockhouse  where  there  were 
always  soldiers  on  guard.  After  we  had  occupied  our 
new  quarters  for  some  time,  we  discovered  that  they 
had  previously  been  used  for  isolating  patients  suffering 
from  cholera  or  other  contagious  disease.  It  seemed 
rather  late  to  move,  however,  and  although  we  did  not 
altogether  like  the  idea  of  living  in  a pest-house,  no 
serious  results  followed. 

The  Jesuit  priest  of  Sulu,  who  had  seen  some  un- 
pleasant sights  during  his  stay,  begged  us  not  to  hunt 
in  the  forest,  and  some  of  the  Spanish  officers  made 
disagreeable  insinuations  as  to  our  probable  fate;  but 
the  spirit  of  Arolas  and  of  our  dare-devil  guide  was 
infectious,  and  we  went  about  our  business  regardless 
of  consequences.  We  did  not  lack  for  reminders  that 
we  were  watched.  Every  shot  that  we  fired  in  the 
forest  was  a signal  for  shouts  from  the  front,  sides,  and 
rear,  which  showed  that  hostile  men  were  all  around 
us;  yet  watch  as  we  would,  we  never  once  caught  sight 
of  them. 

Toolawee  was  well  worth  seeing  at  such  a time.  As 
he  stalked  at  the  head  of  our  little  party,  with  his 
barong  loosened  in  its  sheath  and  his  short  rifle  at 
full  cock,  his  flashing  eyes  searching  the  cover  for  an 
ambush,  he  was  the  warrior  personified.  I must  con- 


SU  L U 


179 


fess,  however,  that  the  dignity  of  his  expression  was 
somewhat  marred  by  the  fact  that  he  had  his  mouth 
stuffed  full  of  cartridges. 

He  was  considered  a “good”  Moro,  and  we  were 
therefore  interested  in  several  incidents  which  gave 
us  some  insight  into  his  real  character.  After  satisfy- 
ing himself  that  we  could  use  our  rifles  with  effect, 
he  made  us  a rather  startling  business  proposition 
as  follows:  “You  gentlemen  seem  to  shoot  quite  well 
with  the  rifle.”  “Yes,  we  have  had  some  experience.” 
“You  say  that  you  wish  to  get  samples  of  the  cloth- 
ing and  arms  of  my  people  for  your  collection  ? ” 
“Yes,  we  hope  to  do  so.”  “ Papa  told  you  if  you  met 
armed  Moros  outside  of  the  town  to  order  them  to 
lay  down  their  weapons  and  retire?”  “Yes.”  “Papa 
does  not  understand  my  people  as  I do.  They  are  all 
bad.  When  we  meet  them  do  not  ask  them  to  lay 
down  their  arms,  for  thev  will  come  back  and  oet 
them,  and  probably  attack  us;  just  shoot  as  many  of 
them  as  you  can.  You  can  take  their  weapons  and 
clothing,  while  I will  cut  off  their  heads,  shave  their  eye- 
brows, show  them  to  papa,  and  claim  reward  for  kill- 
ing juramentadosi'  Toolawee  never  really  forgave  us 
for  refusing  to  enter  into  partnership  with  him  on 
this  very  liberal  basis. 

Just  before  our  final  departure  from  Sulu  he  presented 
himself  before  me  and  remarked,  “ Senor,  I want  to  buy 
your  rifle.”  “ But,  Toolawee,”  I replied,  “you  do  damage 


180  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

enough  with  the  one  you  have  ; what  do  you  want  of 
mine  ? ” “ My  rifle  is  good  enough  to  kill  people  with, 

but  I want  yours  for  another  purpose,”  my  good  Moro 
made  answer.  Pressed  for  details,  he  confided  to  me 
that  he  had  heard  “papa”  was  soon  going  back  to 
Spain,  and  after  the  governor  left  he  should  be  “ afueraP 
i.e.  offshore,  waiting  for  victims.  He  explained  that 
he  never  fired  at  the  people  in  a canoe,  but  shot  holes 
in  the  boat  itself,  so  that  it  would  fill  with  water.  The 
bamboo  outriggers  with  which  all  Philippine  boats 
are  provided  would  serve  to  keep  it  from  actually  sink- 
ing, and  the  occupants,  being  up  to  their  chins  in  water, 
could  easily  be  despatched  with  the  barong , thus  econo- 
mizing ammunition ; and  he  added,  “ My  rifle  makes 
but  a small  hole  in  one  side  of  a canoe,  Senor,  while 
yours  would  make  a much  larger  one,  and  the  ball 
would  go  clear  through.”  Toolawee  was  nothing  if 
not  practical. 

We  found  the  Sulu  forests  composed  almost  entirely 
of  trees  which  produced  edible  fruits.  In  the  old  days, 
when  slaves  were  numerous,  the  virgin  forest  was  cleared 
from  a large  area  near  the  town,  and  fruit  trees  were 
planted  in  its  place. 

Various  incidents  served  to  enliven  our  stay.  We 
were  in  constant  fear  of  being  ambushed,  and  it  proved 
that  there  was  some  ground  for  our  anxiety.  After 
going  along  a certain  path  every  morning  for  several 
weeks  we  one  day,  by  the  merest  chance,  took  another 


SULU 


181 


182 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


route.  A squad  of  soldiers,  while  looking  for  some 
stolen  buffaloes,  passed  over  the  path  which  we  usually 
followed,  and  fell  into  an  ambush  skilfully  laid  in  tall 
grass.  There  is  little  doubt  that  it  had  been  intended 
for  us.  Both  sides  claimed  to  have  had  the  best  of  the 
fight  that  followed,  and  we  could  never  get  at  the 
facts. 

A few  days  later  Bourns  came  down  with  fever,  and  I 
was  starting  for  the  forest  alone,  except  for  the  usual 
escort,  when  a Moro  dodged  out  of  the  grass  and  fired 
on  me  with  a rifle  at  a range  of  less  than  forty  yards. 
How  he  contrived  to  miss  me  I could  never  see,  unless 
he  shut  his  eyes.  The  big  round  ball  from  his  musket 
struck  in  the  sand,  just  under  the  heel  of  the  boy  who 
carried  my  bird-basket.  Even  as  I dropped  my  shotgun 
and  snatched  my  rifle  from  my  gun-bearer  I had  to 
laugh  at  the  effect  of  the  shot.  I believe  the  jump  that 
boy  made  broke  the  record.  It  seemed  to  me  that  his 
legs  began  to  work  before  his  feet  touched  the  ground. 
He  uttered  no  sound,  and  he  looked  neither  to  the  right 
hand  nor  the  left.  The  picture  which  he  presented  as 
he  sped  down  the  path,  with  his  shirt  standing  out  stiffly 
behind  him,  is  indelibly  impressed  on  my  memory.  He 
ran  clear  out  of  sight,  without  once  looking  back,  and  we 
did  not  see  him  again  until  evening. 

At  this  time  the  major  de  plaza  of  Sulu  was  a cer- 
tain Captain  Aguado.  Like  Arolas,  he  was  an  exiled 
republican,  and  he  ought  to  have  been  born  an  Ameri- 


SULU 


183 


can;  for  he  seemed  to  have  more  Yankee  than  Span- 
iard in  him.  His  countenance  was  of  a melancholy 
cast,  but  he  dearly  loved  a joke.  When  he  dropped 
in  on  us  one  day,  and  suggested  that  we  all  go  over 
and  pay  the  Sultan  a visit,  we  suspected  that  he  was 
trying  for  a bit  of  a laugh  at  our  expense ; for  it  was 
well  known  that  the  Sultan’s  neighbours  did  not  always 
treat  his  callers  with  due  respect.  We  promptly  ac- 
cepted Aguado’s  invitation,  however,  and  rather  to  our 
own  amazement  soon  found  ourselves  starting  for 
Harun’s  palace. 

We  arrived  without  misadventure,  but  were  com- 
pelled to  hand  our  rifles  over  to  the  guard  before  they 
would  admit  us.  When  we  reached  the  audience-room, 
I began  to  feel  sorry  that  we  had  come.  We  found 
ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a crowd  of  datos , panditas , 
and  their  followers.  Every  man  of  them  was  armed 
to  the  teeth,  and  the  looks  they  cast  at  us  were  not 
reassuring.  There  were  both  friends  and  enemies  of 
Harun  in  the  room,  and  trouble  was  brewing.  Harun 
himself  was  shut  into  his  sleeping  apartment,  and  had 
refused  to  see  any  one,  on  plea  of  sickness. 

Aguado  gave  the  assemblage  a little  talk  which 
seemed  to  put  them  into  better  humour.  Harun  called 
for  him  almost  immediately,  and  he  secured  us  an 
audience  at  once.  We  exchanged  a few  compliments 
with  His  Excellency,  and  took  our  departure,  glad 
enough  to  get  away  with  whole  skins. 


I §4 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Pest-house  and  monument.  2 Street  in  Spanish  town.  3.  Sultan  Harun’s  palace.  4.  A quiet  corner. 


SULU 


185 


Harun  seemed  a physical  and  mental  wreck.  There 
was  nothing  to  show  that  within  that  shrunken  frame 
the  indomitable  spirit  of  the  Moro,  and  his  unquench- 
able hatred  of  the  Spaniard,  were  still  alive;  yet  sub- 
sequent events  proved  this  to  be  the  case.  Shortly 
after  we  left  the  Philippines,  Arolas  availed  himself  of 
permission  to  return  to  Spain.  We  believed  that  trou- 
ble would  follow  his  departure  from  Sulu,  and  were 
much  interested  in  a report  which  reached  us,  through 
a Sandakan  paper,  to  the  effect  that  his  successor, 
finding  things  apparently  quiet,  was  idiot  enough  to 
imagine  that  he  could  make  the  Moros  pay  taxes.  He 
published  a decree  instructing  the  men  to  come  to  town 
on  a certain  day,  and  pay  tribtito.  Harun  called  the 
Joloanos  together,  and  simply  laid  the  case  before  them, 
promising  to  abide  by  their  decision.  They,  of  course, 
decided  not  to  obey  the  order. 

On  the  appointed  day,  however,  Harun  presented 
himself,  with  a large  force  of  armed  men  at  his  heels. 
The  governor  had  some  hesitation  about  admitting  them 
to  the  town,  but  finally  decided  that  it  would  be  all  right, 
as  they  assured  him  that  they  had  come,  as  directed, 
to  pay  their  taxes.  He  finally  let  them  in,  after  draw- 
ing up  his  troops  and  placing  himself  at  their  head.  The 
man  must  have  taken  leave  of  his  senses,  for  it  is  said 
that  the  rifles  of  the  soldiers  were  not  loaded,  nor  their 
bayonets  fixed. 

Harun  came  forward,  presented  the  governor  with  a 


1 86  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

bag  of  pearls,  and  then  suddenly  drawing  a barong, 
split  his  skull  to  the  teeth.  The  Moros  fell  on  the 
surprised  soldiers  like  wolves  on  sheep,  and  won  a com- 
plete victory.  It  was  reported  that  only  two  or  three 
men  escaped,  and  they  owed  their  lives  to  the  fact 
that  they  were  not  with  the  troops,  and  were  able  to 
hide  until  nightfall  in  a subterranean  passage  leading 
from  under  one  of  the  forts.  The  town  was  razed. 

This  would  never  have  happened  in  Arolas’s  day. 
His  rules  as  to  the  conditions  under  which  Moros 
might  come  inside  of  the  walls  were  very  strict.  They 
must  enter  between  sunrise  and  sunset  through  a cer- 
tain gate,  at  which  were  stationed  twelve  soldiers  under 
a lieutenant.  Some  fifty  yards  from  the  gate  was  a 
little  building  looking  much  like  a band-stand,  called 
the  lanceria.  Here  there  was  a guard  of  four  privates 
under  a sergeant.  They  kept  guns  loaded  and  bayo- 
nets fixed.  Some  distance  down  the  path  which  led 
out  past  the  lanceria  stood  a little  white  slab.  It 
marked  a dead-line. 

A friendly  Moro  who  wished  to  enter  the  town  was 
expected  to  approach  along  this  path.  As  soon  as  the 
guard  in  the  lanceria  saw  him,  they  called  out,  “ Moro 
armado ,”  and  the  guard  at  the  gate  turned  out  with  guns 
at  a ready.  If  the  man  attempted  to  pass  the  dead-line, 
he  was  shot  down,  without  question.  If  his  intentions 
were  good,  however,  he  paused  before  reaching  it,  and 
the  five  men  from  the  lanceria  then  advanced.  When 


SULU 


187 


SULTAN  HARUN 

From  a photograph  taken  as  he  was  leaving  the  house  of  General  Arolas. 
He  is  in  European  dress. 


1 88 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


within  ten  paces  of  him,  they  halted,  and  the  privates 
covered  him  with  their  guns,  while  the  .sergeant  went 
forward  and  received  his  arms.  He  was  then  allowed 
to  enter  the  town,  and  could  reclaim  his  weapons  when 
he  came  out. 

These  elaborate  precautions  were  by  no  means  un- 
necessary. Before  they  were  put  in  force,  jziramenta- 
dos  had  repeatedly  made  their  way  to  the  plaza,  and 
on  one  occasion  had  beheaded  Spaniards  as  they  sat 
in  front  of  a cafe,  reading  their  home  letters. 

During  Arolas’s  time  only  one  of  these  mad  fanatics 
managed  to  get  within  the  walls.  He  fought  his  way 
through  the  guard,  but  not  before  he  had  been  run 
through  the  body,  and  shot  several  times.  He  fell  dead, 
fifty  feet  inside  of  the  gate. 

“ Accidents”  sometimes  occurred  at  the  lanccria,  how- 
ever. One  day  a Moro,  who  had  been  in  and  out  so 
often  that  the  soldiers  on  duty  knew  him  well,  entered 
the  town,  leaving  his  barong  as  usual.  Later  he  came 
out  and  claimed  it,  but  before  going  his  way  handed 
around  a package  of  cigarettes.  Several  of  the  men 
put  down  their  guns  to  light  up,  giving  him  a 
chance  for  which  he  had  doubtless  long  waited  pa- 
tiently. Quick  as  lightning  he  snatched  his  barong 
from  its  sheath,  beheading  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a 
continuation  of  the  same  movement  that  drew  the 
knife.  The  man’s  head  rolled  fifteen  feet  away.  Be- 
fore the  stupefied  guardias  recovered  from  their  sur- 


SU  LU 


189 


prise  two  more  of  them  had  received  fatal  injuries, 
while  a third  was  crippled  for  life ; but  the  sergeant 
was  too  quick  for  the  Moro,  and  blew  his  head  off. 
The  barong  with  which  this  fiendish  deed  was  per- 
petrated was  presented  to  us  by  Captain  Aguado,  and 
is  shown  in  the  illustration  on  page  155. 

In  order  to  keep  the  line  of  fire  from  the  walls  free 
from  obstruction,  Arolas  turned  out  the  entire  garrison 
every  Sunday  morning,  a part  of  them  standing  guard 
while  the  remainder  cut  down  the  rapidly  growing  grass. 
A band  played  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  men,  and 
in  order  to  encourage  them  further  the  old  general 
always  stationed  himself  in  the  hottest  place  he  could 
find.  His  officers  had  to  stand  with  him,  to  their 
intense  disgust.  In  fact,  there  were  a good  many 
things  about  Arolas  that  did  not  please  many  of  his 
officers.  He  was  a stern  disciplinarian,  and  no  re- 
specter of  persons.  The  town  was  under  the  strictest 
martial  law.  Ordinarily  a sentry’s  hail  does  not  mean 
much,  in  the  Philippines,  but  in  Sulu  the  orders  to 
sentries  were,  “Hail  once,  and  then  shoot.”  Just  before 
our  arrival,  a native  sentry  shot  a drunken  Spanish 
officer  dead  in  his  tracks  for  refusing  to  halt  when  so 
ordered.  The  other  officers  were  much  wrought  up 
over  the  matter,  but  Arolas  promoted  the  man,  and 
told  him  to  do  the  like  again  under  similar  conditions. 

The  streets  of  the  town  were  laid  out  with  mathe- 
matical accuracy.  They  were  all  of  definite  width,  as 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


190 

were  the  sidewalks,  and  were  bordered  with  cemented 
gutters,  in  which  were  planted  trees,  at  perfectly  regu- 
lar intervals,  the  gutters  widening  about  their  roots. 
It  was  against  the  rules  to  drop  so  much  as  a cigar- 
stub  or  a scrap  of  paper  in  the  street.  Such  things 
must  be  deposited  in  the  gutter.  Infractions  of  this 
rule  were  punished  by  a fine  if  the  offender  was  white, 
by  something  worse  if  he  was  a native. 

The  streets  were  covered  with  white  coral  sand,  and 
were  swept  twice  a day.  As  Arolas  once  remarked  to 
us,  there  was  no  need  of  sweeping  them  so  often,  “ but 
if  it  were  not  done  twice  a day,  soon  it  would  not  be 
done  once  a week ! ” During  our  stay  the  story  was 
circulated  that  he  had  published  an  order  forbidding 
the  trees  to  shed  their  leaves  on  his  streets  ! 

One  day  he  was  walking  through  the  town,  when  he 
saw  a saddle-horse  hitched  to  a tree.  Now  it  was 
against  rules  to  tie  a horse  on  the  street.  The  owner 
of  the  offending  animal  was  a German,  who  lived  out- 
side of  the  town,  and  was  called  “ the  king  of  the  jzira- 
mentados " by  the  Spaniards,  because  it  was  believed 
that  he  gave  information  to  the  Moros.  The  governor 
had  him  summoned,  explained  the  rule  to  him  very 
politely,  and  asked  him  not  to  violate  it  again.  A few 
days  later  he  found  the  same  horse  fastened  in  the  very 
spot  where  it  had  been  before.  Calling  a sergeant,  the 
governor  calmly  instructed  him  to  take  four  men,  lead 
the  horse  to  the  end  of  the  wharf,  and  throw  it  over. 


SULU 


191 

“ Senor  ?"  remarked  the  orderly,  interrogatively.  Arolas 
repeated  his  instructions  in  the  peculiarly  gentle  tones 
which  with  him  were  a warning  of  impending  trouble. 
His  order  was  instantly  obeyed.  When  the  German 
came  to  look  for  his  horse,  he  finally  discovered  it  at 
the  end  of  the  wharf,  dead.  He  complained  to  his 
consul,  at  Manila,  and  was  advised  either  to  leave 
Sulu  or  obey  orders. 

We  were  much  amused  at  the  novel  method  em- 
ployed by  Arolas  to  cure  some  of  his  men  who  were 
in  hospital  with  ulcers.  They  found  life  there  so  very 
comfortable  that  they  had  no  desire  to  get  out,  and 
were  detected  irritating  their  sores,  to  keep  them  from 
healing.  The  governor  was  vexed,  and  directed  the 
doctor  to  see  if  he  could  effect  cures  with  red-hot 
needles;  but  the  natives  preferred  cauterization  to 
work,  and  still  the  sores  did  not  heal.  His  next  plan 
was  certainly  original.  Their  thick  black  hair  was 
cut  pompadour,  and  the  sides  of  their  heads  were 
shaved  clean,  leaving  a narrow,  bristling  crest  extend- 
ing from  the  back  of  the  neck  to  the  forehead.  They 
were  then  compelled  to  parade  the  town,  under  guard. 
Their  appearance  was  indescribably  ludicrous,  and 
caused  shrieks  of  laughter.  If  there  is  any  one  thing 
a Philippino  dislikes  it  is  to  become  an  object  of  ridi- 
cule, and  under  this  treatment  the  ulcers  soon  disap- 
peared. 

Governor-General  Weyler  visited  Sulu  while  we 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


192 

were  there.  It  was  an  open  secret  that  he  was  not 
on  good  terms  with  Arolas,  who  showed  him  the  honour 
due  his  rank,  but  not  a jot  more.  After  leaving  the 
island  an  officer  asked  Weyler  what  he  thought  of  the 
town.  With  an  expressive  shrug  he  replied,  “ Dema- 
siado  limpieza  y demasiado  gobernador ” (too  much 
cleanliness,  and  too  much  governor).  It  is  hardly  to 
be  wondered  at  that  Weyler  did  not  feel  at  home  in 
a clean  place. 

As  a matter  of  fact,  there  was  not  “ too  much  gov- 
ernor” there.  Arolas  was  the  man  for  the  position,  and 
Spain  has  not  many  like  him. 

We  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  photographs  of  the 
Moros.  They  were  unduly  influenced  by  the  remarks 
in  the  Koran  concerning  the  making  of  pictures  of  liv- 
ing things,  and  furthermore  many  of  them  believed  that 
if  they  were  photographed  they  were  sure  to  die  within 
a year.  We  were  obliged  to  steal  most  of  our  pictures, 
and  we  found  it  difficult  and  dangerous  work ; for 
Moros  have  very  pointed  ways  of  emphasizing  their 
objections. 

For  a long  time  we  failed  to  secure  any  photographs 
of  women.  At  last  a mandarin , who  lived  near  town 
and  was  not  superstitious  or  over-religious,  took  pity  on 
us,  and  invited  us  to  come  to  his  house  and  photograph 
his  numerous  wives.  We  accepted  the  invitation,  but 
when  the  ladies  learned  the  object  of  our  visit  they  fled 
screaming  to  an  inner  room,  and  held  the  door  on  their 


SULU 


193 


MORO  MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS,  AND  GIRL  DANCING  — SULU 


194 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


lord  and  master.  The  neighbours  rushed  in,  to  see 
what  the  trouble  was,  and  we  thought  it  wise  to  leave. 

A few  days  later  we  had  the  great  good  fortune  to  see 
a Moro  wedding.  Hearing  much  music  in  a large  house 
not  far  from  town,  we  asked  the  cause,  and  learned  that 
a marriage  was  about  to  take  place  there.  By  exercis- 
ing considerable  diplomacy  we  contrived  to  get  admis- 
sion. We  were  shown  into  a large,  poorly  lighted 
room,  which  had  a good  floor  of  hewn  timber.  The 
well-to-do  Moros  of  the  whole  region  around  were  as- 
sembled. Such  gaudy  costumes  we  had  never  seen. 
They  were  of  silk  for  the  most  part,  and  the  pinks,  pur- 
ples, scarlets,  blues,  and  greens  were  simply  gorgeous. 

At  one  side  of  the  room  was  an  “ orchestra.”  The 
chief  musical  instrument  consisted  of  a wooden  frame 
over  which  were  strung  cords  that  supported  nine  small 
kettledrums,  tuned  to  the  notes  of  the  scale.  A woman, 
kneeling  before  this  affair,  beat  out  rude  airs  on  it  with 
a pair  of  sticks.  Larger  kettledrums  were  suspended 
from  the  ceiling,  and  on  the  floor  were  several  double- 
ended  wooden  drums,  with  heads  of  python  skin. 

The  kettledrums  were  made  of  bell-metal,  and  the 
combination  of  sounds  produced  by  the  various  instru- 
ments was  by  no  means  unpleasant  at  first,  although  its 
monotony  wearied  one  in  time. 

On  one  side  of  the  room  the  floor  was  strewn  with 
mattresses  and  cushions,  among  which  lounged  the  pro- 
spective bridegroom,  surrounded  by  friends.  The  cen- 


SU  LU 


195 


tre  of  the  floor  was  cleared  for  dancing;  in  fact,  dancing 
was  going  on  when  we  entered.  The  performers  came 
out  one  at  a time,  and  their  movements  were  critically 
watched  and  freely  commented  on  by  the  spectators. 
Moro  dancing  consists  chiefly  of  contortions  of  the  body 
above  the  waist,  and  movements  of  the  arms,  wrists,  and 
hands.  The  feet  are  used  comparatively  little. 

Some  of  the  attitudes  assumed  by  the  dancers  were 
very  graceful ; others  were  decidedly  grotesque,  and 
interesting  only  as  they  showed  into  what  remarkable 
shapes  human  forms  could  be  twisted.  Tiny  children 
executed  timid  steps,  and  an  old,  old  woman,  white- 
haired,  toothless,  and  bent  nearly  double,  took  her  turn 
with  the  rest,  winning  great  applause. 

The  bride,  meanwhile,  was  in  a small  side  room  mak- 
ing her  toilet.  We  inferred  from  the  sounds  we  heard 
that  she  had  plenty  of  help.  The  bridegroom  donned 
his  costume  in  public,  putting  it  on  over  the  handsome 
Moro  suit  that  he  already  wore.  First  came  a pair  of 
gauze  trousers  several  sizes  too  large ; then  a shirt  of 
similar  material,  quite  too  small ; next  his  companions 
produced  a skirt  of  rich  silk,  into  which  he  climbed  with 
great  difficulty.  He  evidently  was  not  accustomed  to 
skirts.  Finally  they  brought  out  two  long  ribbons,  one 
embroidered  with  gold  and  one  with  silver.  These  were 
so  arranged  that  they  crossed  on  his  back  and  breast, 
while  both  encircled  his  waist.  The  costume  was  appar- 
ently public  property,  intended  for  use  on  such  occasions. 


196 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Two  panditas  now  came  in.  The  groom  squatted  on 
the  floor,  and  the  panditas  squatted  before  him.  A 
saucer  of  live  coals  was  set  between  them,  and  incense 
burned  in  it.  One  of  the  priests  took  five  large  rings 
and  put  them  on  the  fingers  and  thumb  of  the  groom’s 
right  hand  ; then,  holding  the  hand  in  a peculiar  way, 
he  recited  a long  rigmarole  which  was  unfortunately 
lost  on  us.  At  its  end  the  groom  and  his  friends  made 
some  sudden  exclamation. 

The  other  pandita  now  began  to  sing,  very  softly  at 
first,  then  louder  and  louder.  At  this  signal  six  young 
ladies,  whom  we  may  as  well  call  bridesmaids,  entered 
the  room  and  seated  themselves  among  the  cushions  at 
some  distance  from  the  groom.  One  of  them  had  false 
finger-nails  of  silver,  two  inches  long.  Their  faces  were 
painted  white  with  rice  paste.  Their  eyebrows  were 
artificially  broadened,  and  brought  together  between  the 
eyes.  “ Beau-catchers,”  pasted  flat  to  their  cheeks,  ran 
around  their  ears.  Their  front  hair  was  banged,  and 
their  back  hair  — but  only  a woman  could  describe  that. 
They  sat  down  with  great  deliberation,  and,  with  one 
exception,  kept  still  as  statues  until  the  ceremony  was 
over. 

The  bride  entered,  but  people  crowded  around  her 
so  that  we  could  not  at  first  see  her.  She  was  dressed 
like  her  maids,  but  rather  more  elegantly.  She  took 
position  near  the  groom,  turned  her  back  on  him  in 
a very  pointed  manner,  and  sat  down.  He  and  his 


SU  LU 


197 


friends  now  rose,  formed  in  line,  and  made  a slow  and 
circuitous  pilgrimage  to  where  she  was  sitting.  After 
many  pauses  and  much  “ marking  time,”  they  reached 
their  destination,  and  the  groom  made  some  advances 
which  the  bride  promptly  repulsed.  He  then  sat  down 
and  gazed  disconsolately  at  her  back. 

The  crowd  extended  their  sympathy  to  him,  and 
urged  the  bride  to  relent,  but  she  refused.  One  of 
the  bridesmaids  at  last  arose  and  favoured  the  audience 
with  a long  solo  which  we  could  not  well  understand, 
but  she  seemed  to  be  giving  the  groom  a very  bad 
reputation.  She  finally  finished  and  resumed  her  place. 
After  more  entreaties  from  the  crowd,  the  bride  rose, 
turned  toward  the  groom,  and  sat  down  again.  This 
ended  the  ceremony,  but  when  we  went  to  supper  the 
newly  wedded  man  and  wife  were  still  sitting  there  and 
staring  stupidly  at  each  other. 

We  were  very  anxious  to  get  pictures  of  the  guests, 
and  that  evening  smuggled  in  our  dismounted  camera, 
together  with  some  magnesium  powders  and  a flashlight 
lamp.  Under  pretext  of  contributing  our  share  to  the 
entertainment,  we  showed  them  how  to  make  artificial 
lightning.  Bourns  focussed  by  guess,  I touched  off 
magnesium  powders,  and  in  this  way  we  made  a num- 
ber of  exposures,  only  two  of  which  gave  us  negatives 
that  would  print.  The  pictures  thus  obtained  are  re- 
produced on  pages  193  and  199. 

It  will  be  readily  understood  that  it  was  no  easy 


198 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


matter  to  learn  anything  of  the  superstitions  and  re- 
lioious  beliefs  of  the  Moros.  We  made  various  futile 

O 

attempts,  and  for  a long  time  despaired  of  any  success, 
but  at  last  our  opportunity  came.  On  our  visit  to 
Harun  we  had  met  his  Minister  of  Justice,  a very 
intelligent  man,  who  looked  as  if  he  had  white  blood 
in  his  veins.  To  our  surprise  he  called  on  us  a few 
days  later  to  inform  us  that  Harun  was  short  of  money, 
and  wanted  to  sell  us  a big  pearl.  We  did  not  con- 
clude a bargain,  but  with  a microscope  and  sundry 
copies  of  illustrated  papers,  we  did  interest  the  messen- 
ger so  much  that  he  came  again  and  yet  again.  We 
finally  succeeded  in  getting  him  to  tell  us  some  of  the 
things  we  wanted  to  know,  and  I give  the  information 
obtained  in  this  way,  just  as  it  was  jotted  down  in  my 
note-book,  for  what  it  is  worth. 

The  Moros  believe  that  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  are 
the  lisrht  of  God,  to  “ dominar  ’ the  whole  world.  There 

O 

are  no  other  worlds  than  this  in  the  universe,  but  there 
are  beings  which  inhabit  the  air  above  us  and  the  earth 
beneath  our  feet.  They  worship  God,  and  die  like  our- 
selves. There  is  one  god,  namely  Toohan.  He  is  om- 
nipresent, omnipotent,  and  omniscient.  Without  him 
we  cannot  speak.  His  form  is  that  of  our  thoughts. 
Animals  have  spirits,  but  they  are  not  like  the  soul  of 
man,  and  vanish  into  thin  air  when  death  comes. 

Man  differs  from  the  brutes  in  his  higher  intelligence 

o o 

and  his  ability  to  speak.  His  soul  lives  forever.  It 


SU  LU 


199 


MORO  INTERIOR,  SHOWING  WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN  — SULU 


200 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


enters  his  body  at  the  top  of  his  head,  when  he  is  born, 
an  opening  being  left  between  the  bones  of  the  skull 
for  that  purpose.  It  leaves  the  body  at  death,  once 
more  through  the  skull.  It  is  distributed  throughout 
the  body  during  life,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
various  members  are  sensitive.  When  one  dies,  his  soul, 
according  to  some  panditas , goes  directly  to  the  place 
of  God ; according  to  others,  it  goes  under  the  earth,  to 
sleep  until  the  last  day.  A bad  man’s  soul  eventually 
goes  to  hell,  which  is  a place  of  torment  where  one  is 
punished  according  to  his  sins.  If  he  has  talked  too 
much,  his  mouth  pains  him;  if  he  has  been  jealous, cruel, 
or  treacherous,  it  is  his  heart ; if  he  has  been  murderous 
or  thievish,  his  hand.  There  is  no  fire  in  hell.  Where 
would  the  fuel  come  from?  In  the  course  of  time 
every  man’s  punishment  is  finished,  and  he  goes  to 
heaven. 

Some  panditas  say  that  one’s  punishment  consists 
in  misfortune,  disappointment,  and  suffering  here  below, 
and  that  atonement  comes  before  death. 

The  purified  soul  will  have  the  same  form  the  body 
had,  but  will  be  like  gold  and  diamonds,  i.e.  glorified. 

Some  panditas  say  that  the  good  souls  wait  in  the 
air  and  the  evil  ones  in  the  earth,  and  there  is  neither 
hell  nor  judgment  until  the  end  of  the  world.  Then 
all  souls,  good  and  bad,  will  be  swept  up  as  by  a great 
wind,  and  carried  to  the  Mount  of  Calvary,  where  they 
will  meet  Gabriel,  Michael,  and  the  Weigher,  who  will 


SULU 


201 


weigh  each  one.  Souls  heavy  with  sin  will  be  sent 
down  to  hell. 

The  Moros  believe  in  all  the  Old  Testament  worthies 
like  “Ibrahim,”  “No,”  “Adam,”  “ Mosa,”  “Ismail,” 
“ Daud,”  “ Sulaiman,”  “ Yakub,”  and  “ Alse  ” (Samson?). 
They  know  the  outlines  of  the  stories  of  Adam  and 
Eve,  the  flood,  etc.  Their  account  of  the  flood  is 
perhaps  worthy  of  record. 

When  the  forty  days  and  nights  of  rain  came, 
Noah  and  his  family  got  into  a box.  One  pair  of 
each  sort  of  bird  and  beast  also  came  in.  Men  who 
were  busy  with  their  ordinary  occupations,  and  did 
not  enter  the  box,  were  overtaken  by  the  flood. 
Those  who  ran  to  the  mountain  became  monkeys ; 
those  who  ran  to  the  water,  fish.  The  Chinaman 
changed  to  a hornbill.  A woman  who  was  eating 
the  fruit  of  a seaweed,  and  would  not  stop,  was 
changed  into  a fish  called  dugong , and  her  limbs  can 
still  be  seen  under  its  skin. 

I had  made  numerous  attempts  in  Mindanao, 
Basilan,  and  Sulu  to  get  an  explanation  of  the  Moro 
aversion  to  pork,  but  not  a word  could  I worm  out 
of  any  one.  Finally,  the  Minister  of  Justice  called  on 
us  one  day  in  a,  for  him,  very  unusual  condition. 
Some  one  had  beguiled  him  into  partaking  of  the  cup 
which  cheers,  inebriates,  and  sometimes  loosens  the  tongue, 
and  I got  out  of  him  the  following  statement  of 
the  case. 


202 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Jesus  Christ,  called  by  the  Moros  Isa,  was  a man 
like  ourselves,  but  great,  and  good,  and  very  power- 
ful. He  was  not  a son  of  God.  The  Moros  hate 
and  kill  the  Christians  because  they  teach  that  men 
could  punish  and  kill  a son  of  God. 

Mohamoud  had  a grandson  and  a granddaughter, 
of  whom  he  was  very  fond.  As  he  was  king  of  the 
world,  Christ  came  to  his  house  to  visit  him.  Moha- 
moud, jealous  of  him,  told  him  to  prove  his  power 
by  “divining”  what  he  had  in  a certain  room,  where, 
in  fact,  were  his  grandchildren.  Christ  replied  that  he 
had  no  wish  to  prove  his  power,  and  would  not 
“ divine  ” ( ciivinar ).  Mohamoud  then  vowed  that  if  he 
did  not  answer  correctly,  he  should  pay  for  it  with  his 
life.  Christ  responded,  “You  have  two  animals  in  there, 
different  from  anything  else  in  the  world.”  Mohamoud 
replied,  “ No,  you  are  wrong,  and  I will  now  kill  you.” 
Christ  said,  “ Look  first,  and  see  for  yourself.”  Moha- 
moud opened  the  door,  and  out  rushed  two  hogs,  into 
which  Christ  had  changed  his  grandchildren. 

Moros  are  forbidden  to  tell  this  story  to  infidels, 
because  it  shows  that  Christ  outwitted  their  great 
prophet.  When  my  informant  sobered  up  and  real- 
ized what  he  had  done,  he  hung  around  day  after  day 
beseeching  me  not  to  let  any  one  know  what  he  had 
told  me,  from  which  fact  I inferred  that  he  thought  he 
had  told  me  the  truth,  and  not  a fable  invented  for 
the  occasion. 


SU  LU 


203 


MOROS 

Captured  while  engaged  in  piracy,  and  compelled  to  work  on  the  streets  of  Sulu.  Wall  of  the  town  in  the  background. 


204 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


One  curious  idea  of  the  Moros  is  that  men  were, 
in  the  beginning,  a race  of  giants.  They  say  that 
Eve’s  tomb  is  fifty  yards  long,  and  shows  her  immense 
size,  buf  at  the  end  of  the  world  men  will  be  only 
one  yard  high.  The  mind,  however,  has  kept  on 
growing  from  the  beginning. 

There  was  a good  deal  to  enjoy  about  life  in  Sulu, 
but  it  was  rather  too  uncertain  to  be  altogether  satis- 
factory, and  we  were  not  sorry  when  our  work  there 
was  done  and  the  time  came  to  sail  for  Tawi  Tawi. 


CHAPTER  IX 


TAW  I TAWI 

On  the  south  coast  of  Tawi  Tawi  there  are  sev- 
eral settlements  of  piratical,  slave-hunting  Moros,  but 
except  for  a little  garrison  at  Tataan,  about  which  a 
few  refugees  have  gathered,  the  north  coast  is  unin- 
habited. The  island  is  covered  from  end  to  end  with 
forest.  Fruit  trees,  and  consequently  wild  hogs,  are 
very  abundant ; for  there  is  almost  no  one  to  hunt  the 
hogs,  and  with  plenty  of  food  and  little  molestation 
they  have  multiplied  astonishingly. 

The  surface  of  the  island  is  uneven,  but  the  hills, 
though  steep,  are  low  and  of  quite  uniform  height. 
Near  the  centre  a precipitous  mountain,  some  2000 
feet  in  height,  rises  above  the  level  of  the  surround- 
ing country. 

The  little  outpost  at  Tataan  was  established  a few 
years  ago,  in  a flurry  of  excitement  over  imagined 
danger  of  losing  the  island.  Apart  from  timber,  other 
forest  products,  and  wild  hogs,  there  is  little  in  Tawi 
Tawi  to  lose;  but  Spain  has  been  determined  to  keep 
her  title  to  the  island  good,  and  has  therefore  estab- 
lished and  maintained  a garrison.  A more  lonely  spot 


205 


206 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


than  the  one  selected  for  the  blockhouse  could  hardly 
be  imagined,  and  the  place  soon  got  a bad  reputation. 
From  the  outset  the  troops  suffered  fearfully  from  fever, 
and  later  an  epidemic  of  cholera  broke  out,  while  one 
comandante  is  said  to  have  become  insane  from  sheer 
loneliness. 

We  were  anxious  to  visit  Tawi  Tawi,  as  nothing 
was  known  of  the  zoology  of  the  island,  and  we  hoped 
to  make  important  discoveries.  Having  been  warned 
that  we  could  buy  nothing  whatever  there,  we  had  laid 
in  the  necessary  supplies  in  advance ; and  after  finish- 
ing our  work  in  Sulu,  and  securing  a note  of  com- 
mendation to  the  comandante  in  charge  at  Tataan,  we 
sailed  on  the  regular  monthly  mail-steamer. 

It  was  quite  necessary  that  we  should  win  the  good 
will  of  the  comandante , for  we  were  told  that  we  should 
have  to  live  with  him  until  we  could  build  a house 
of  our  own.  We  need  have  given  ourselves  no  anxi- 
ety on  this  score,  however.  Don  Felipe,  for  so  he 
preferred  to  have  us  address  him,  was  a kindly,  hos- 
pitable old  gentleman,  and  it  delighted  him  to  have 
the  monotony  of  his  life  broken  by  the  arrival  of  two 
wandering  americanos. 

The  place  had  a deserted  look.  A little  blockhouse, 
a new  and  sizable  dwelling  of  cana  and  nip  a which 
the  comandante  had  just  finished  building  for  him- 
self, and  a few  sheds  seemed  to  constitute  Tataan ; but 
we  soon  found  out  that  there  was  one  more  house, 


T A W I T A W I 


207 


hidden  away  amid  the  dense  vegetation,  and  a little 
further  inland  than  the  others,  which  Don  Felipe  had 
just  vacated.  This  he  very  kindly  turned  over  to  us, 
together  with  a large  table  on  which  to  dry  our  bird- 
skins. 

We  were  soon  established  in  our  new  domicile.  It 
was  built  too  near  the  ground,  and  was  a damp,  musty 
old  place.  More  than  one  fever-stricken  comandante 
had  died  there,  and  good  old  Don  Felipe,  who  visited 
us  every  afternoon,  had  a cheerful  habit  of  telling  us 
in  what  particular  corner  and  just  how  each  of  them 
had  breathed  his  last.  It  was  believed  that  the  srhost 

O 

of  the  last  fever  victim  was  in  the  habit  of  taking 
nightly  constitutionals  in  the  one  room  of  the  house, 
but  although  we  watched  for  it  with  interest,  it  did 
not  favour  us. 

We  had  few  neighbours  at  Tataan.  There  were  thirty 
native  soldiers  at  the  blockhouse,  in  charge  of  two 
Spanish  officers,  a lieutenant  and  a sergeant.  Within 
a radius  of  a mile  were  perhaps  a dozen  families  of 
so-called  Moros.  In  reality  most  of  them  were  slaves, 
who  had  escaped  from  the  piratical  settlements  on  the 
south  coast,  and  sought  the  protection  of  the  garri- 
son. A few  of  them  undoubtedly  were  “ reformed 
pirates,”  entitled  to  the  name  which  they  bore.  All  of 
them  wore  the  Moro  dress. 

We  lived  far  more  comfortably  than  we  had  ex- 
pected. Don  Felipe,  who  had  been  trained  under 


208 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


General  Arolas,  had  practically  stamped  out  fever, 
by  clearing  the  ground  and  burning  it  over.  Wild 
hogs,  fattened  on  durians,  could  be  had  for  the  shoot- 
ing, so  that  we  never  lacked  for  fresh  meat.  Fur- 
thermore, we  made  lard  enough  to  last  us  the  rest  of 
our  stay  in  the  Philippines ; a great  piece  of  good 
fortune,  for  native  cooks  use  it  in  large  quantities,  and 
what  one  gets  at  the  shop  of  a Chinaman  is  always 
of  somewhat  doubtful  antecedents. 

There  was  an  oven  at  the  blockhouse,  and  we 
accepted  Don  Felipe’s  offer  to  furnish  milk  and  a 
cook  to  make  bread  for  the  crowd,  if  we  would  con- 
tribute the  flour. 

We  soon  found  that  the  slave  business  still  flourished 
in  Tawi  Tawi.  Girls  of  fifteen  years  were  valued  at 
three  cabans  (about  five  bushels)  of  rice.  One  was 
offered  to  us  at  Tataan  for  three  dollars  in  cash. 
The  proposition  was  a secret  one ; for  while  Don 
Felipe  could  not  control  the  Moros  on  the  south 
coast,  he  would  have  no  slave  catching:  or  selling: 
about  his  corner  of  the  island. 

He  told  us  that  the  slave-dealers  had  no  difficulty 
in  selling  all  the  able-bodied  men  they  could  capt- 
ure to  the  Dutch  planters  in  Borneo  — a fact  which 
affords  one  more  illustration  of  the  benefits  that  civili- 
zation sometimes  brings  to  a benighted  land  ! 

From  the  outset  we  had  great  success  in  our  col- 
lecting, obtaining  a number  of  unknown  species  of 


T A W I T A W I 


209 


birds ; but  apart  from  this  our  daily  life  was,  for  some 
time,  monotonous  enough.  A path  led  from  the  block- 
house through  a large  patch  of  felled  timber  to  the 
forest,  and  continued  to  a river  near  the  centre  of  the 
island.  Every  morning  we  used  to  go  out  along  it, 
working  off  into  the  forest  on  either  side.  When  we 
started  it  usually  looked  as  if  it  never  had  rained  in 
Tawi  Tawi.  About  ten  o’clock  the  thunder  began  to 
roll,  and  by  twelve  things  appeared  as  if  it  had  been 
raining  for  a week  and  meant  to  keep  on  indefinitely. 

We  soon  learned  to  start  early  for  the  forest  and 
come  back  before  noon.  The  afternoon  was  given 
to  the  care  of  specimens,  and  with  clock-like  regularity 
Don  Felipe  came  to  call  after  finishing  his  siesta.  In 
the  evening,  if  not  too  tired,  we  returned  the  com- 
pliment. 

But  the  monotony  of  our  daily  life  was  not  destined 
to  go  on  uninterrupted.  The  path  along  which  we 
hunted  had  once  led  to  Balinbing,  and  had  been  used 
by  the  slave-hunting  Moros  of  that  place  when  they 
wished  to  cross  to  the  north  coast.  We  had  at  first 
been  a little  uneasy  lest  we  should  encounter  some  of 
them,  but  as  the  days  went  by,  and  nothing  happened, 
we  grew  indifferent,  especially  after  wre  found  that  the 
path  seemed  grown  up  beyond  the  river,  and  showed 
no  indication  of  having  been  recently  used. 

As  Mateo  was  our  most  successful  big-game  hunter, 
we  depended  on  him  to  keep  us  in  meat,  and  every 


210 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


other  day  sent  one  of  the  Moros  from  the  fort  along 
with  him,  to  carry  a rifle  so  that  he  might  shoot  a hog. 
It  was  not  unusual  for  him  to  be  late  in  returning  on 
such  occasions,  so  when  he  failed  to  turn  up  for 
dinner  one  day  we  felt  no  uneasiness.  At  four  o’clock 
he  was  still  missing,  but  we  thought  he  had  killed  an 
unusually  large  boar,  and  contented  ourselves  with 
starting  two  more  men  to  help  him  in  with  his  game. 

At  the  end  of  another  hour  we  had  grown  very  un- 
easy, and  when  neither  Mateo  nor  the  men  we  had 
sent  after  him  returned  before  sunset  we  knew  there 
was  serious  trouble ; for  the  boy  would  have  abandoned 
any  sort  of  game  rather  than  get  caught  in  the  jungle 
after  dark.  The  possibility  of  his  being  lost  seemed 
hardly  worth  considering;  for  he  was  a splendid  woods- 
man, and  thoroughly  familiar  with  his  ground.  If  he 
had  shot  or  otherwise  injured  himself,  his  gun-bearer 
would  naturally  have  come  in  for  help. 

We  decided  that  there  were  but  two  possibilities: 
he  had  either  been  shot  by  the  Moro  who  was  with 
him,  or  had  fallen  in  with  the  slave-hunters  from  Balin- 
binm  We  knew  he  would  not  have  let  them  take  him 

O 

alive,  unless  they  had  ambushed  him  and  caught  him 
completely  off  his  guard,  and  we  feared  the  worst. 

Reproaching  ourselves  for  having  delayed  so  long, 
we  hastily  got  together  bandages,  lint,  brandy,  food,  a 
hammock,  and  ammunition  enough  for  signalling,  fight- 
ing, or,  if  necessary,  for  both. 


T A W I T A W I 


211 


Just  then  the  runners  we  had  sent  out  returned. 
They  had  gone  clear  to  the  river  without  meeting 
any  one,  and  had  shouted  all  the  way  back  without 
getting  any  reply. 

Our  order  from  Weyler  commanded  the  authorities 
to  furnish  us  whatever  aid  we  might  need.  We  decided 
that  we  needed  soldiers,  and  needed  them  at  once. 
Bourns  went  to  ask  Don  Felipe  for  them,  while  I 
hunted  up  the  official  interpreter  and  told  him  to  rout 
out  every  friendly  Moro  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  per- 
suade as  many  of  them  as  possible  to  accompany  us. 

When  Bourns  told  Don  Felipe  that  Mateo  had  not 
returned,  he  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  replied  “ Seguro 
ambuscado  ” (certainly  ambushed),  and  could  hardly 
believe  his  senses  when  he  found  that  we  meant  to 
start  at  that  hour  to  look  for  him.  He  tried  to  dis- 
suade us,  saying  that  we  could  easily  be  surrounded 
in  the  darkness,  and  would  run  serious  risk  of  sharing 
Mateo’s  fate,  while  in  any  event  we  could  do  nothing. 
He  even  refused  to  give  us  men,  but  we  produced 
our  order,  and  he  yielded  on  that  point.  At  our  re- 
quest the  soldiers  were  put  under  our  own  command, 
and  no  officer  accompanied  them. 

A crowd  of  Moros  were  waiting  at  our  house  when 
we  returned.  We  noted  the  significant  fact  that  each 
of  them  had  brought  a big  barong.  They  evidently 
had  ideas  of  their  own  as  to  what  was  ahead  of  us. 
The  rain  was  falling  steadily,  and  the  darkness  was  of 


212 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


that  velvety  sort  that  one  can  almost  feel.  However, 
we  got  off  without  delay.  We  had  but  a small  supply 
of  torch-wood,  and  were  obliged  to  content  ourselves 
with  two  lights  at  the  head  of  the  column. 

For  the  first  half-mile  our  path  lay  along  the  trunks 
and  branches  of  felled  trees,  slippery  with  rain.  They 
afforded  a most  treacherous  footing,  and  several  of  the 
men  had  heavy  falls.  Fearing  broken  bones,  we  made 
them  crawl  on  all  fours,  and  our  progress  was  pain- 
fully slow.  In  the  midst  of  the  clearing  were  two  or 
three  Moro  hpts.  One  of  the  men  called  to  ask  us 
where  we  were  going.  “ To  Balinbing,”  answered 
the  Moro  at  the  head  of  our  line.  Without  a word, 
the  questioner  snatched  up  a barong  and  joined  us. 
He  was  not  the  only  one  in  our  little  company  who 
had  a score  to  settle  with  the  people  of  Balin- 
bing. 

At  last  we  reached  the  forest.  The  slippery  path 
ran  over  steep  hills,  while  the  feeble  torches  at  the 
head  of  our  column  only  served  to  make  the  darkness 
visible.  We  were  continually  straying  off  into  the 
jungle,  and  were  often  forced  to  come  to  a halt  while 
our  torchmen  found  the  path  again.  At  frequent 
intervals  trees  or  logs  obstructed  the  track,  while  the 
ground  was  strewn  with  palm  leaves  which  had  clusters 
of  long,  needle-like  spines  about  their  bases.  After  a 
few  experiments  we  formed  single  file  in  a solid  line, 
each  man  with  a hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  one  in 


T A W I T A W I 


213 


front  of  him.  It  was  the  only  way  to  keep  closed  up 
in  the  darkness. 

From  the  head  of  the  procession  would  come  a 
warning  cry  of  “ cajui as  the  front  man  stumbled 
over  a log,  and  each  in  succession  called  cajui  as  he 
reached  the  obstruction.  Now  and  again  some  one 
would  fall  heavily,  bowling  half  the  line  down.  The 
most  common  warning  was  “ tinick  ” (thorns).  Bourns 
and  I wore  cloth  shoes  with  hemp  soles,  while  our 
men  were  barefooted,  and  there  were  muttered  curses 
— to  be  strictly  truthful,  some  of  them  were  very 
distinctly  audible  — as  man  after  man  filled  his  feet 
with  the  stinging  spines.  A Malay  soldier  is  more 
or  less  of  a stoic,  however,  and  when  he  makes  up 
his  mind  that  a thing  must  be  done  he  usually  does 
it.  There  was  very  little  grumbling,  but  we  had  an 
unrivalled  opportunity  to  enlarge  our  vocabulary  of 
native  cuss-words. 

Fortunately  we  had  long  since  found  it  necessary 
to  establish  a system  of  signals  by  means  of  gun-shots. 
When  one  of  us  needed  help  in  the  forest,  for  instance, 
he  would  fire  two  shots  in  quick  succession,  wait  thirty 
seconds  and  fire  one.  The  men  who  responded  to 
his  summons  would  from  time  to  time  fire  two  shots, 
one  following  the  other  as  quickly  as  finger  could 
draw  trigger,  which  meant  “Where  are  you?”  and 
single  shots  in  reply  would  indicate  the  direction. 

And  so,  at  frequent  intervals,  the  heaviest  charges 


214 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


that  I dared  to  use  sent  the  signal  “ Where  are  you  ? ” 
rolling  over  the  hilltops,  but  we  strained  our  ears  in 
vain  for  an  answering  shot.  At  last  we  reached  the 
height  of  land  at  the  centre  of  the  island.  I fired 
again  and  got  no  response.  It  was  evident  that  if 
Mateo  could  hear  us  at  all  it  would  be  when  we 
were  on  this  high  ground.  In  desperation  I slipped 
in  two  four-and-a-half-dram  charges,  and  fired  both 
barrels  at  once,  throwing  myself  forward  to  meet  the 
tremendous  recoil.  Absolute  silence  followed  the 
deafening  report,  as  every  man  held  his  breath  and 
listened,  in  vain,  for  there  was  no  sound  but  the  drip- 
ping of  rain  from  the  trees. 

Bourns  looked  at  me,  and  shook  his  head.  We 
both  knew  that  the  boy  could  not  have  strayed  out 
of  hearing  of  that  shot,  and  if  he  were  alive  and  not 
disarmed  he  would  have  answered  it.  So  it  was  to 
be  Balinbing!  Well,  Balinbing  was  still  a long 
way  off,  and  we  must  be  there  at  dawn.  There  was 
no  time  to  lose,  and  I ordered  the  men  forward,  but 
my  “ adalante  ” was  cut  short  by  a simultaneous  cry 
of  “ thnback"  (gun-shot)  from  two  of  the  Moros.  We 
ourselves  had  not  heard  a sound.  In  spite  of  a bruised 
shoulder,  I again  fired  both  barrels  together,  and  this 
time,  after  a wait  that  seemed  interminable,  we  all  heard 
the  answering  report.  What  a load  it  lifted  from  our 
hearts,  and  what  a cheer  we  sent  up ! Mateo  was 
alive,  and  could  fire.  If  his  strength  and  ammunition 


T A W I T A W I 


215 


held  out,  we  should  certainly  find  him.  The  shot  was 
plainly  in  front  of  us,  but  very  distant.  How  could 
he  have  wandered  so  far  away?  We  lost  no  time  in 
speculation,  but  hurried  on,  slipping,  sliding,  and 
stumbling  over  the  ground  at  our  best  pace.  In  half 
an  hour  I fired  again.  This  time  the  answering  shot 
was  much  more  distinct,  and  the  men  shouted  “ Ttibig 
malakee  ” (big  water). 

It  certainly  did  sound  as  if  it  came  from  the  river 
valley.  Again  we  hurried  on,  until  we  reached  the 
bank  of  the  stream.  I had  often  waded  it,  hunting 
kingfishers,  and  thought  I knew  the  shallows  well 
enough  to  pick  my  way  by  torchlight.  Fortunately  I 
gave  my  gun  to  one  of  the  men,  for  before  I had  gone 
ten  rods  I walked  in  over  my  head.  It  was  little  trouble 
to  get  out  again,  but  there  were  crocodiles  in  that 
stream,  and  I had  no  fancy  for  falling  into  deep  places 
at  night.  The  wind  had  come  up,  and  we  were  tired 
and  cold  to  begin  with.  I shall  not  soon  forget  the 
half-hour  that  followed.  The  wet  stones  hurt  our  sore 
feet  abominably  as  we  stumbled  and  slipped  over  them. 
The  fish  seemed  to  be  attracted  by  our  torches,  and 
now  and  then  a man  would  step  on  one  of  them,  and 
yell  “ Boia  ! ” (“  Crocodile  ! ”).  Great  hairy-legged  spiders 
skated  over  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  made  things 
seem  rather  grewsome.  They  must  have  kept  them- 
selves out  of  sight  by  day,  for  I had  never  seen  them 
before;  but  they  were  very  much  in  evidence  that  night. 


21 6 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  chill  of  the  water  struck  into  us,  and  our  teeth  were 
soon  rattling;  but  what  troubled  us  most  was  that  from 
the  time  we  pitched  down  into  the  river  valley  we  had 
failed  to  get  any  answer  to  our  signals.  Could  Mateo 
no  longer  hear  us?  Was  his  ammunition  exhausted? 
Had  his  strength  given  out?  We  could  not  tell,  but  it 
was  certainly  worse  than  useless  to  w'ade  that  stream 
longer,  as  day  would  break  in  a couple  of  hours.  We 
made  our  way  to  high  ground,  and  after  much  difficulty 
started  a hot  fire.  One  of  the  men  brought  in  a supply 
of  leafy  branches,  and  showed  us  how  to  hold  them  in 
the  blaze  until  they  ceased  to  steam  and  began  to 
smoke.  Each  of  us  dried  a branch  in  this  way,  for 
himself,  threw  it  on  the  water-soaked  ground,  and  lay 
down  in  the  rain. 

The  forest  folk  seemed  a good  deal  disturbed  by  the 
unusual  sight.  A beautiful  golden  flycatcher  awoke, 
flew  to  a branch  just  over  our  fire,  and  began  to  sing  at 
the  top  of  its  small  voice.  A parrot  screamed,  sleepily 
at  first,  then  angrily ; but  I was  particularly  interested 
in  a venerable  old  monkey,  with  gray  side-whiskers,  who 
ran  down  to  the  lowest  branch  of  a neighbouring  tree, 
shook  his  clenched  fists,  and  swore  at  us  most  pro- 
fanely. So  persistent  were  his  maledictions  that  one  of 
the  soldiers  grew  angry  and  raised  his  rifle ; but  the 
poor  brute’s  actions  had  been  so  comically  human,  and 
he  really  had  such  good  ground  for  being  disturbed, 
that  I interfered,  and  he  wras  spared. 


T A W I T A W I 


217 


We  were  all  so  tired  that  we  fell  asleep  in  the  rain, 
and  it  was  daylight  when  I awoke.  I sprang  to  my  feet 
and  fired  the  signal.  To  my  delight  I got  a reply,  but 
it  seemed  to  come  from  a point  more  distant  than  the 
last  shots  of  the  night  before.  The  firing  roused  the 
men,  but  before  we  could  get  off  Mateo  signalled  again, 
and  yet  again.  We  started  to  meet  him,  but  how  the 
boy  was  shooting ! It  seemed  as  if  he  must  be  having 
a running  fight  through  the  woods,  and  certainly  he  was 
rapidly  approaching.  At  last  he  came  in  sight;  his 
Moro  was  with  him,  and  they  were  running!  They 
must  be  hard  pressed.  Half  a dozen  rifles  came  up, 
but  we  could  see  no  one  following  them.  Just  then 
they  caught  sight  of  us,  stopped,  and  acted  as  if  they 
were  going  to  run  back  to  the  woods  again.  I called 
to  Mateo  and  asked  him  what  was  the  matter.  He 
paused,  apparently  reassured  by  the  sound  of  my  voice, 
and  answered,  “ Nothing!  ” 

Both  he  and  his  companion  were  in  a pitiful  state, 
with  clothing  almost  gone,  and  bodies  torn  and  bleed- 
ing. We  could  learn  little  from  them,  except  that  they 
had  been  lost.  They  would  not  eat,  and  were  evidently 
badly  upset.  We  hurried  them  home,  and  once  in  the 
house  Mateo  devoured  everything  we  set  before  him ; 
then  lay  down  on  the  floor,  and  dropped  off  to  sleep, 
but  in  a few  minutes  awoke  screaming.  We  were  much 
alarmed  about  him,  but  he  soon  got  better,  although  it 
was  several  days  before  he  could  sleep  without  dreaming 


218 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


that  he  was  again  lost  in  the  woods.  At  first  we  could 
get  out  of  him  no  connected  account  of  his  experiences, 
but  little  by  little  it  all  came  back. 

On  the  eventful  day  he  had  killed  a fine  lot  of  birds, 
and  had  then  gone  to  a small  conical  hill,  which  was  his 
favourite  hunting-ground  for  hogs.  He  had  worked 
around  this  several  times  before  getting  a shot,  and  had 
evidently  lost  his  reckoning;  for  starting,  as  he  sup- 
posed, for  the  house,  he  had  in  reality  gone  straight 
away  from  it.  When  he  reached  the  sea  he  found  him- 
self on  the  south  coast  of  Tawi  Tawi  instead  of  the 
north,  and  in  sight  of  Balinbing  at  that.  His  guide  had 
been  a slave  there,  and  the  proximity  of  the  Moro  town 
put  him  in  a panic. 

They  dropped  their  hog,  and  hurried  back  the  way 
they  had  come,  as  they  supposed.  In  the  course  of 
time  they  found  a conical  hill,  but  it  did  not  seem  to 
be  the  right  one.  They  took  a fresh  start,  but  could 
not  see  the  sun,  and  with  nothing  to  guide  them  the 
nervous  strain  began  to  tell.  It  was  growing  dark. 
They  must  hurry  if  they  were  to  get  home  before  night. 
That  terrible  longing  to  run,  which  can  be  appreciated 
only  by  one  who  has  been  lost  in  a great  forest,  began 
to  steal  over  them.  They  fought  it  off  for  a time,  but 
not  for  long.  Now  they  only  wished  to  find  the  sea;  to 
get  anywhere  out  of  that  everlasting  forest ; and  they 
must  hasten,  for  evening  was  close  at  hand.  So  they 
began  to  run,  and  ran  on  and  on,  tearing  their  clothing 


T A W I T A W I 


219 


and  their  flesh;  falling  only  to  rise  and  run  again, 
whither  they  did  not  know,  or  care.  The  devils  of  the 
forest  were  hounding  them  on. 

Darkness  fell,  and  still  they  ran,  bruising  themselves 
against  tree-trunks,  falling  over  logs  and  stones.  At 
last  they  could  run  no  more,  so  they  lay  still.  For  a 
wonder  they  had  not  thrown  their  guns  away,  and  when 
they  heard  me  fire  they  had  wit  enough  to  answer. 

After  we  once  reached  the  river  its  banks  had  shut 
in  the  sound  of  our  signals,  and  they  had  waited  for 
day.  Once  more  they  started  in  the  wrong  direction, 
but  my  first  shot  showed  them  their  mistake.  They 
began  to  run  again,  and  ran  all  the  way  until  they 
met  us,  and  then  we  “did  not  look  just  right,”  so 
they  at  first  thought  they  would  better  run  from  us. 
The  men  were  three  parts  mad,  and  another  day  in 
the  forest  would  have  made  them  raving  maniacs. 

We  did  not  accomplish  much  during  the  remainder 
of  our  stay  in  Tawi  Tawi.  It  took  a long  time  to  get 
the  spines  out  of  our  feet,  and  fever  was  the  inevitable 
outcome  of  our  night  in  the  jungle,  while  it  seemed 
imprudent  to  allow  Mateo  to  go  to  the  forest  again 
until  he  had  thoroughly  recovered  from  the  effects 
of  his  unpleasant  experience. 

When  we  finally  left  the  island,  Don  Felipe  and  the 
Spanish  lieutenant  were  still  puzzling  their  heads  over 
the  question  of  what  could  possibly  have  induced  us 
to  go  to  so  much  trouble  and  risk  in  hunting  up  a 


220 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


missing  native.  Mateo  certainly  was  a full-blooded 
“ indio ,”  and  his  skin  was  rather  black,  but  these  were 
details  of  which  we  had  long  since  ceased  to  think.  His 
thirteen  years  in  America  had  served  to  make  him  a 
living  demonstration  of  the  capability  for  improvement 


MATEO  FRANCISCO 
A typical  Philippine) 


possessed  by  the  average  native.  I regard  him  as  a 
fair  type  of  his  kind.  Born  of  two  Moro  slaves,  who 
had  escaped  from  Sulu  to  Mindanao,  he  certainly  had 
no  special  advantages  in  early  youth ; but  as  a man 
he  was  intelligent,  quiet,  sober,  industrious,  honest,  true 
as  steel,  and  absolutely  fearless.  We  thought  of  him 


T A YV  I T A W I 


221 


as  a companion,  not  a servant,  and  trusted  him  im- 
plicitly. I have  not  a doubt  that  in  a tight  place  he 
would  have  stood  by  us  as  long  as  he  could  see  and 
pull  a trigger,  and  when  he  pulled  a trigger  something 
was  very  apt  to  get  hurt.  His  work  with  a rifle  was 
invariably  perfectly  cool,  and  astonishingly  accurate. 

A year  and  a half  later  he  had  an  opportunity  to 
square  back  accounts.  He  was,  at  the  time,  my  sole 
companion,  Bourns  having  gone  to  Borneo.  When  we 
were  in  the  middle  of  the  island  of  Busuanga,  I came 
down  with  typhoid  fever.  Little  suspecting  the  true 
nature  of  the  disease,  I tried  for  ten  days  to  fight  it 
off,  keeping  at  my  regular  work  up  to  the  last  moment. 
Then  came  the  inevitable  collapse.  There  was  but 
one  other  white  man  on  the  island.  The  natives  had 
already  begun  to  plunder  me,  carrying  off  my  medicines 
among  other  things,  and  it  was  imperative  that  I 
should  get  to  some  place  where  I could  have  medical 
assistance. 

I told  Mateo  to  take  me  to  Manila,  and  left  the  rest 
to  him.  He  got  together  a coolie-gang,  and  not  only 
hurried  me  to  the  coast  but  brought  the  baggage 
through  safely.  Securing  a sail-boat,  he  took  me  to 
Culion  in  time  for  the  monthly  mail-steamer,  and 
finally  landed  me  safely  at  the  capital. 

During  the  days  and  weeks  that  followed  he  never 
left  my  side,  and  hardly  closed  his  eyes.  When  I 
again  began  to  take  an  interest  in  what  was  going  on 


222 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


about  me,  and  noted  that  he  could  not  sit  down  to 
hold  a glass  of  water  to  my  lips  without  dropping  off 
to  sleep,  I felt  that  even  when  viewed  from  a strictly 
business  standpoint,  the  time  we  had  spent  in  search- 
ing for  him  when  he  was  lost  in  Tawi  Tawi  was  not 
a bad  investment. 


CHAPTER  X 


PANAY  AND  GUIMARAS 

The  “delightful”  Philippine  climate  of  which  one 
sometimes  reads  had  put  its  mark  on  each  member  of 
the  Steere  expedition  before  we  left  Mindanao,  and  our 
efforts  to  regain  our  health  at  El  Recodo  had  not  been 
successful.  Three  of  us  were  still  crippled  by  ulcers, 
while  Mateo  and  Moseley  were  badly  infected  with 
malaria,  and  Dr.  Steere ’s  dysentery  was  threatening  to 
become  chronic. 

I had  been  more  unfortunate  than  my  fellows,  having 
had  a very  severe  attack  of  liver  trouble,  and  been 
scheduled  first  to  die  and  then  to  remain  a month  in 
hospital,  by  the  Spanish  physician  at  Zamboanga,  but 
had  managed  to  crawl  off  to  the  steamer,  although 
barely  able  to  walk. 

Ilo  Ilo,  our  next  stopping-place,  is  the  second  city  of 
the  archipelago  in  commercial  importance,  and  is  the 
capital  of  a province  bearing  the  same  name,  in  eastern 
Panay.  There  are  no  public  conveyances  in  the  town, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  make  our  way  on  foot  to  the 
hotel,  which  proved  to  be  a miserable  affair.  All  five  of 
us  were  crowded  into  a room  which  already  had  one 


223 


224 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


occupant  and  was  lighted  and  ventilated  only  by  two 
doors.  Around  the  building  were  pools  of  ill-smelling 
water  covered  with  thick  green  scum.  All  in  all,  the 
prospects  for  recovering  health  did  not  seem  good. 

I hardly  know  what  would  have  become  of  us  had  we 
not  chanced  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  George 
M.  Saul,  of  the  firm  of  Hoskyn  and  Company.  Bourns, 
the  only  member  of  the  party  really  able  to  be  out,  hap- 
pened to  drop  into  their  store,  and  Mr.  Saul  at  once 
introduced  himself,  asking  Bourns  who  he  was,  where 
from,  etc.  Bourns  told  him  of  our  sorry  plight.  Before 
noon  on  that  very  day  he  called  on  us  at  the  hotel,  and 
taking  pity  on  our  forlorn  condition,  invited  us  to  go 
over  to  Guimaras  and  make  use  of  a little  place  which 
he  kept  up  there.  He  spoke  somewhat  disparagingly 
of  it,  but  seemed  to  think  we  should  find  it  more  com- 
fortable and  healthful  than  the  hotel. 

We  were  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  getting  any- 
where out  of  Ilo  Ilo,  and  gladly  accepted  his  invitation. 
He  lost  no  time,  but  sent  us  across  that  evening  on  a 
steam  launch.  The  channel  which  separates  Panay 
from  Guimaras  is  about  six  miles  wide  at  this  point,  and 
we  had  a rough  passage,  but  arrived  safely  at  a little 
cluster  of  houses  known  as  Salag  Dako  (literally  “ big 
nest  ” ). 

Here  a pleasant  surprise  awaited  us.  We  had  not  been 
prepared  for  anything  very  fine,  but  we  found  a large, 
airy  house  of  caha  and  nipa , with  broad  verandas  on 


GUIMARAS 


225 


three  sides.  It  was  close  to  the  beach,  where  it  caught 
every  breeze,  and  was  shaded  by  cocoanut  palms  and 
other  trees.  At  one  side  was  a pleasant  garden,  and 
altogether  it  was  an  ideal  place.  Mr.  Saul  had  sent 
news  of  our  coming  before  us,  and  the  house  was  open 
and  ready,  with  servants  on  duty. 

Fast  sail-boats  ran  over  to  Ilo  Ilo  every  morning,  so 
that  we  could  order  any  supplies  which  we  needed,  and 
when  we  had  grown  a little  stronger  we  discovered  good 
collecting  ground  close  at  hand.  Mr.  Saul  continued  to 
show  us  every  kindness,  and  during  the  month  we  re- 
mained at  Salag  Dako  we  not  only  regained  our  health, 
but  gathered  much  valuable  material. 

Guimaras  is  extremely  healthful.  It  is  rough  and 
hilly,  but  without  high  mountains.  The  whole  island  is 
covered  with  a cap  of  limestone.  The  soil  is  apparently 
poor,  and  it  is  perhaps  for  this  reason  that  cocoanut 
palms  are  so  abundant.  It  is  a well-known  fact  that  these 
trees  flourish  where  little  else  will  grow,  doing  best  barely 
above  high-water  mark  in  the  sand  along  the  beach. 

Few  nuts  were  allowed  to  ripen  on  the  trees  near  our 
house.  Many  large  groves  produce  no  fruit  at  all.  The 
branches  of  each  blossom-stalk  are  tied  together  into  a 
compact  bundle,  their  ends  are  cut  off  and  thrust  into  a 
hollow  joint  of  bamboo,  called  a bombon.  The  sap  which 
flows  abundantly  from  the  wounds  thus  made  is  known 
as  tuba , and  is  gathered  morning  and  night.  Notches 
are  cut  in  the  bark  of  the  trees  as  they  grow  taller,  and 


226 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  /«<fo-gatherer,  who  is  not  encumbered  with  much 
clothing,  puts  his  toes  in  them  and  climbs  the  stem  of 
a lofty  palm  as  if  it  were  a ladder.  All  the  palms  in  a 
grove  are  usually  planted  at  one  time,  and  remain 
of  fairly  uniform  height.  In  many  instances  bamboo 


A TUBA-GATHERER  — SALAG  DAK.O,  GUIMARAS 

bridges  are  built  from  tree  to  tree,  so  that  it  is  not 
necessary  to  climb  each  one. 

The  tuba-g atherer  carries  on  his  back  a large  joint  of 
bamboo  in  which  to  put  the  fresh  sap,  a swab  to  clean 
the  bombon  in  which  the  tuba  is  caught  as  it  flows,  and 
a package  of  bitter  red  bark,  reduced  to  powder.  This 


PA  NAY 


22  7 


powder  is  thought  to  improve  the  flavour  of  the  drink, 
and  a little  of  it  is  put  in  each  bombon.  A curved  knife 
is  also  carried,  and  with  it  the  tips  of  the  blossom-stalk 
are  freshly  cut  daily;  for  if  this  precaution  is  neglected, 
the  flow  of  the  juice  will  cease. 

The  unfermented  “ tuba  dtilce  ” is  a pleasant  and 
nourishing  drink,  often  recommended  for  those  who  are 
recovering  from  severe  illness,  on  account  of  its  flesh- 
producing  properties.  The  fermented  product  is  a mild 
intoxicant. 

It  was  with  much  regret  that  we  finally  left  our  pleas- 
ant home  in  Guimaras,  and  returned  to  Ilo  Ilo  to  make 
inquiries  as  to  where  forests  could  be  found  in  Panay. 

This  island  has  been  almost  denuded  of  the  trees 
which  once  covered  it,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  its  princi- 
pal city  one  finds  only  swamps,  cultivated  ground,  and 
immense  cogonales. 

The  savage  tribes  have  disappeared  with  the  forest, 
either  yielding  to  civilization  or  becoming  extinct;  but 
in  the  high  mountains  to  the  northwest  some  woodland 
and  some  wild  men  may  yet  be  found. 

So  far  as  I am  aware,  no  valuable  mineral  deposits 
have  as  yet  been  discovered  in  Panay.  The  soil  is  fairly 
fertile  over  large  areas,  and  in  some  regions  is  very 
rich.  There  are  extensive  sugar  plantations  in  the  Con- 
cepcion district. 

Near  Capiz,  large  quantities  of  alcohol,  about  ninety- 
three  per  cent  pure,  are  made  from  juice  obtained  by 


228 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


tapping  the  nipa  palm.  The  blossom-stalk  is  cut  off, 
and  the  flowing  sap  caught,  placed  in  large  receptacles 
to  ferment,  and  finally  distilled.  The  process  is  inexpen- 
sive, and  the  product  of  excellent  quality. 

The  civilized  people  of  Panay,  like  those  in  the 
other  central  islands  of  the  Philippine  group,  are  Visa- 
yans. 

Ilo  Ilo  is  the  second  city  of  the  Philippines  in  busi- 
ness importance,  having  recently  outstripped  Cebu  in 
the  race  for  supremacy,  and  is  rapidly  monopolizing  the 
commerce  of  the  central  Philippines.  It  lies  close  to 
the  seashore,  but  is  reached  by  means  of  a sluggish 
creek,  which  has  been  dredged  out  until  it  will  admit 
the  island  steamers.  Large  vessels  must  lie  in  the 
channel  outside,  where  there  is  good  anchorage.  There 
are  no  defences  worth  mentioning. 

The  place  is  by  no  means  attractive.  It  is  built  on 
low,  flat  ground,  much  of  which  is  filled  swamp  land. 
The  unpaved  streets  are  always  dusty  or  muddy,  which 
makes  the  lack  of  public  conveyances  a great  nuisance. 
The  church  is  ugly,  and  the  public  square,  once  hand- 
somely laid  out,  was  serving  as  a goat  pasture  when 
I last  saw  it.  There  are  no  places  of  amusement. 
One  sees  a few  good  shops  and  some  pleasant  resi- 
dences, but  the  native  quarter  seems  to  be  rather 
mixed  up  with  the  rest  of  the  city. 

The  business  interests  of  the  place  are  almost  entirely 
in  the  hands  of  English  and  German  firms.  Sugar  is 


PAN  AY 


229 


the  main  export,  and  the  whole  town  smells  of  it.  The 
shipments  exceed  those  from  Manila. 

Numerous  bullock  carts  are  seen  on  the  streets, 
especially  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sugar  go-downs.  The 
bullocks  are  much  quicker  in  their  movements  than 
carabaos , but  are  not  so  strong. 

Learning  that  there  were  extensive  forests  near  the 
town  of  Concepcion,  we  took  passage  for  that  place 
in  a sugar  steamer.  Just  as  we  were  ready  to  start, 
the  governor  of  the  province  decided  to  run  up  and  take 
a look  at  things,  as  the  place  was  the  seat  of  government 
for  one  of  his  comandancias.  The  steamer  was  held 
to  await  his  convenience,  and  we  did  not  reach  our 
destination  until  nine  o'clock  at  night,  by  which  time 
a furious  rainstorm  was  raqinm 

Heavy  surf  was  running  on  shore,  but  we  were  finally 
landed  with  our  belongings,  and  the  steamer  went  its 
way.  After  carrying  our  heavy  chests  up  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  incoming  tide,  we  began  to  look  for  the 
town ; but  no  town  could  we  find.  Dr.  Steere  went 
off  on  a voyage  of  discover}',  and  the  rest  of  us  stood 
guard  over  the  baggage  for  two  mortal  hours  in  that 
pouring  rain.  It  was  after  eleven  when  a native  brought 
us  a message  from  the  comandante  asking  us  to  favour 
him  by  coming  to  his  house  at  once.  We  inquired 
where  Don  Jose  (Dr.  Steere)  was,  and  were  informed 
that  he  was  already  there.  We  accordingly  followed 
our  guide,  and  to  our  surprise  and  chagrin  were  shortly 


230 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


ushered  into  a brilliantly  lighted  dining-room,  where 
an  elegantly  dressed  company  were  sitting  at  a ban- 
quet given  in  honour  of  the  newly  arrived  governor. 

We  were  arrayed  in  suits  of  duck  which  had  once 
been  white,  though  no  one  would  have  suspected  it. 
Each  of  us  carried  two  guns.  Our  sun-hats  had  been 
reduced  to  shapeless  masses  of  pulp,  and  the  colour 
from  their  linings  had  streaked  our  faces  with  gorgeous 
tints.  We  were  streaming  with  water,  and  puddles 
formed  and  spread  about  our  feet  the  moment  we  stood 
still.  Our  advent  created  consternation  among  the 
guests.  The  governor  and  comandante  jumped  up, 
in  genuine  distress  at  our  condition,  and  insisted  that 
we  should  join  them  at  table  and  have  something  to 
warm  us  up ; but  we  should  have  been  a disgrace 
to  a well-ordered  pig-sty,  and  felt  that  we  must 
decline. 

Failing  to  discover  “ Don  Jose,”  we  again  inquired 
for  him,  and  learned  that  the  comandante  also  bore 
that  name,  which  fact  w7as  responsible  for  our  unhappy 
blunder.  A messenger  was  sent  in  search  of  the  Doc- 
tor, and  we  dripped  peacefully  in  a corner  until  he 
arrived.  The  governor  urged  us  to  remain  at  his 
house,  but  as  we  had  discovered  that  he  already  had 
more  guests  than  he  could  accommodate,  and  was  at 
that  very  moment  smuggling  extra  beds  in  at  the 
back  door,  we  declined  his  kind  invitation  and  went 
to  the  tribunal.  Here  things  were  in  utter  confusion. 


PAN  AY 


231 


There  had  been  numerous  irregularities  in  the 
management  of  public  affairs  at  Concepcion,  and  the 
unexpected  arrival  of  the  governor  had  created  a panic. 
A large  force  of  clerks  and  cuadrilleros  were  working 
frantically,  trying  to  get  things  ready  to  bear  inspec- 
tion on  the  following  day,  and  the  gobernadorcillo  was 
in  a blue  funk.  This  had  been  the  reason  for  Steere’s 
long  delay.  He  could  get  neither  carts  nor  men  to 
bring  up  our  things. 

Learning  that  we  had  just  come  from  the  house 
of  the  governor,  the  gobernadorcillo  saw  fit  to  attend 
to  us,  and  about  one  o'clock  our  water-soaked  baggage 
was  brought  in.  We  slung  hammocks,  curled  up  in 
wet  blapkets,  and  passed  one  of  those  nights  which 
the  traveller  in  the  Philippines  comes  to  accept  as 
inevitable. 

Concepcion  did  not  prove  an  agreeable  place.  The 
church  was  falling  down,  the  native  houses  were  dilapi- 
dated, and  the  people  themselves  poverty-stricken  and 
unruly.  Sentries  guarded  the  town  at  night,  and  one 
of  them  caused  us  much  discomfort.  He  was  posted 
directly  under  our  sleeping-room,  and  at  intervals  of 
fifteen  minutes  pounded  vigorously  with  a club  on  a 
piece  of  an  old  steel  shovel-blade,  to  show  that  he 
was  awake.  The  people  gave  us  no  peace,  day  or 
night,  and  we  decided  that  we  must  have  a house  of 
our  own,  so  that  we  could  keep  them  out. 

We  finally  succeeded  in  renting  a domicile,  and 


232 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


while  in  it  had  our  first  experience  with  one  of  the 
worst  pests  in  the  Philippines.  A countless  horde 
of  tiny  red  ants  invaded  our  premises,  and  refused 
to  decamp.  They  tunnelled  into  our  bread  over  night, 
and  built  nests  there,  biting  our  tongues  when  we 
attempted  to  eat  it  for  breakfast.  They  crawled  into 
the  sugar  and  died,  making  it  necessary  for  us  to 
skim  out  the  floating  corpses  after  sweetening  our 
coffee.  They  particularly  delighted  in  fresh  meat,  and 
swarmed  over  it  until  it  looked  like  a solid  mass  of 
ants.  Not  content  with  destroying  our  food,  they 
attacked  our  bird-skins,  which  they  seemed  to  find 
palatable,  in  spite  of  the  arsenic  with  which  they  were 
poisoned.  Having  obtained  a very  valuable  bird  just 
at  night,  I suspended  it  by  a string  from  the  centre 
of  the  ceiling,  thinking  they  surely  would  not  find  it 
there.  The  next  morning  it  was  completely  stripped 
of  feathers.  We  put  the  legs  of  our  tables  in  dishes 
of  water.  The  ants  built  bridges.  We  substituted 
kerosene.  They  climbed  up  overhead,  and  dropped 
down.  One  soon  becomes  resigned  to  eating  them, 
for  they  are  more  often  present  than  absent  in  a 
house,  and  it  is  impossible  to  get  them  all  out  of  the 
food. 

There  are  numerous  other  troublesome  species  of 
ants  in  the  Philippines,  but  none  do  so  much  really 
serious  damage  as  the  anai  (white  ants).  They  attack 
wood,  paper,  pasteboard,  clothing,  cordage,  — in  short, 


PAN  AY 


233 


anything  that  they  can  gnaw.  They  avoid  the  light, 
often  eating  their  way  into  a house  through  solid 
timber,  so  that  their  presence  is  not  suspected  until 
one  breaks  through  a floor-board  which  they  have 
hollowed  out,  or  knocks  down  a bedpost  with  a mere 
touch.  The  creatures  work  with  astonishing  rapidity, 
and  will  come  through  the  floor  and  the  bottom  of  a 
trunk,  and  reduce  its  contents  to  powder,  in  a single 
night.  On  our  second  visit  to  the  archipelago  we  left 
a part  of  our  baggage  at  the  United  States  consulate 
in  Manila.  Returning  after  a short  absence  we  found 
that  the  anai  had  eaten  our  chests  until  they  had  fallen 
to  pieces  of  their  own  weight ; had  utterly  destroyed  our 
clothing ; had  gnawed  the  pasteboard  boxes  from  our 
cartridges  and  the  sacks  from  our  shot ; had  ruined 
our  gun-wads,  letter-paper,  and  books,  and  even  eaten 
the  strings  out  of  the  beads  intended  for  trade  with 
the  natives. 

Knowing  that  the  creatures  could  not  endure  strong 
light,  we  dumped  our  ruined  belongings  in  the  sun  on 
the  stones  of  an  open  court.  Within  ten  minutes  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  of  strong  brown  ants  had  ap- 
peared, and  were  slaughtering  the  soft,  helpless  white 
ones  and  bearing  them  off  in  triumph. 

The  comandante  at  Concepcion  was  a believer  in  the 
famous  policy  of  “ reconcentration.”  It  facilitated  the 
collection  of  taxes  if  taxpayers  lived  where  they  could 
readily  be  reached ; so  he  ordered  all  the  natives  in  his 


234 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


district  to  take  up  their  abode  in  the  towns  and  villages, 
no  matter  how  much  it  might  inconvenience  them.  One 
of  his  favourite  forms  of  amusement,  as  we  learned  from 
his  own  lips,  was  to  ride  about  the  country  and  fire  the 
houses  of  those  who  had  failed  to  heed  his  admonitions. 
We  one  day  saw  him  burn  three  native  huts.  He  gave 
the  inmates  no  warning,  but  in  each  case  jumped  from 
his  horse,  pulled  a bunch  of  dry  grass,  lighted  it  and 
thrust  it  into  the  thatch,  which  burned  like  tinder. 
Those  within  jumped  from  doors  and  windows  in  their 
haste  to  escape.  When  a house  was  completely  burned, 
he  very  courteously  suggested  that  it  might  be  well  for 
its  occupants  to  look  for  a site  in  town  when  ready  to 
rebuild. 

Later  we  learned  that  this  same  comandante  had 
devised  a new  plan  for  bringing  delinquent  taxpayers  to 
time.  He  caused  them  to  be  caught  and  tied  to  trees, 
and  then  set  a large  and  vicious  dog  on  to  them,  and 
encouraged  it  to  worry  them.  It  was  said  that  this  was 
too  much  even  for  the  village  friar,  who  reported  the 
matter  to  the  governor.  The  result  was  that  an  ingen- 
ious and  effective  method  of  tax-collection  was  stopped, 
in  deference  to  what  the  comandante  doubtless  consid- 
ered a hyper-sensitive  public  opinion. 

As  I shall  have  occasion  to  mention  some  other  ways 
employed  to  secure  the  payment  of  moneys  due  the  gov- 
ernment, it  may  be  well  at  this  time  to  consider  briefly 
the  history  of  taxation  in  the  colony. 


PAN  AY 


235 


Up  to  the  year  1884  all  the  subdued  tribes  paid 
tvibuto.  The  sum  demanded  of  each  person  has  varied, 
but  at  that  time  it  was  four  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents 
per  year,  three  dollars  of  which  might  be  remitted  in 
return  for  forty  days’  work  rendered  to  the  government. 

From  the  standpoint  of  the  hungry  provincial  officials, 
this  system  was  a great  success.  They  had  only  to 
“ encourage  ” the  natives  to  pay  cash,  report  them  as 
having  worked  out  their  three  dollars  each,  and  put  the 
money  in  their  pockets.  The  sums  thus  stolen  were 
known  as  “ caidas  ” (droppings),  and  their  approximate 
amount  for  each  province  was  well  understood.  In  the 
good  old  days  it  was  said  that  the  provincial  governor 
who  failed  to  become  rich  in  two  years  was  a fool,  and 
it  would  be  wearisome  to  enumerate  the  men  who  re- 
turned to  Spain  with  fortunes  most  astonishingly  out  of 
proportion  to  the  size  of  their  salaries. 

Possibly  with  a view  to  checking  this  abuse  sufficiently 
to  give  those  in  higher  places  a chance  at  the  spoils,  a 
new  scheme  was  devised,  and  a decree  issued  to  the 
effect  that  each  inhabitant  of  the  archipelago  except  the 
clergy,  public  servants,  and  a few  others  must  render 
fifteen  days  of  work  each  year,  without  the  privilege  of 
avoiding  the  obligation  by  money  payment. 

This  preposterous  order,  which  would  have  put  Span- 
iards and  foreigners  to  sweeping  streets  and  building 
roads  beside  native  coolies,  was,  fortunately,  never  car- 
ried into  effect. 


236 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Yet  another  system  was  finally  adopted,  and  every 
resident  of  the  country  over  eighteen  years  of  age  was 
required  to  purchase  annually  a cedilla  personal , or 
document  of  identity.  The  price  of  the  eedula  varied 
from  twenty-five  dollars  to  fifty  cents,  according  to 
the  supposed  means  of  the  applicant.  Each  man  or 
woman  holding  one  which  cost  less  than  three  dollars 
and  a half  was  obliged  to  give  fifteen  days  of  forced 
labour  per  year,  while  those  whose  cedillas  cost  more 
than  the  above  amount  had  to  pay  an  additional  dol- 
lar and  a half  in  lieu  of  work. 

Evasion  of  this  requirement  was  next  to  impossible, 
except  for  those  living  in  very  remote  places;  for  no 
legal  or  official  business  could  be  transacted  without 
the  document  of  identity,  and  it  had  to  be  presented 
on  demand  by  government  officials.  The  captain  of  a 
steamer  who  received  any  passenger  on  board  without 
a eedula  was  subject  to  a fine  of  a thousand  dollars. 

But  this  charge  was  only  the  beginning  of  taxation. 
Had  a man  a cocoanut  grove  ? He  must  pay  an  an- 
nual tax  of  five  cents  on  each  tree.  Did  he  want  to 
press  a little  oil  out  of  his  ripe  cocoanuts  ? It  was 
necessary  to  pay  for  a license  to  run  an  oil-press.  Had 
he  a few  bananas  or  a little  rice,  so  that  he  wished  to 
open  a bit  of  a shop  on  his  ground  floor  and  sell  his 
surplus  produce?  He  must  pay  for  the  privilege.  Did 
he  need  to  kill  his  buffalo  or  his  hog  for  meat?  He 
must  pay  from  two  to  four  dollars  for  a licencia  before  he 


P A N A Y 


237 


could  do  it.  Did  his  cow  or  his  buffalo  give  more  milk 
than  he  required  ? If  he  wished  to  sell  it  he  must  have 
his  milk-measure  inspected  and  stamped  each  year,  and 
that  cost  money.  There  were  taxes  for  keeping  horses 
and  for  felling  trees.  All  legal  business  had  to  be  done 
on  stamped  paper,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

Should  the  sums  mentioned  seem  insignificant,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  a man’s  wages  are  frequently 
not  more  than  five  or  ten  cents  per  day;  that  a large 
majority  of  the  people  cannot  get  work  at  any  price;  and 
that  the  taxes  are  not  the  whole  story,  for  the  village 
friar  is  yet  to  be  reckoned  with,  and  he  has  ways  of 
his  own  for  relieving  his  parishioners  of  their  pence. 

The  simple  fact  is  that  many  of  these  poor  people 
spend  their  lives  in  a fruitless  effort  to  meet  their  ob- 
ligations to  a government  which  neither  protects  their 
lives  and  property  nor  allows  them  arms  to  protect 
themselves;  which  utterly  fails  to  give  them  justice  if 
they  become  involved  in  legal  difficulties ; which  does 
not  construct  roads,  build  bridges,  or  open  up  means  of 
land  communication  and  transportation ; which  makes 
no  adequate  provision  for  the  education  of  their  chil- 
dren, and  treats  them  as  suspects  if  they  gain  education 
abroad ; which  offers  no  relief  if  starvation  or  pestilence 
overtakes  them ; which  even  drafts  the  men  for  soldiers 
and  then  confiscates  their  property  and  imprisons 
their  wives  and  children,  because  they  cannot  alone 
meet  their  obligations  to  the  government  which  their 


238 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


husbands,  brothers,  and  sons  are  fighting  to  defend. 
Verily,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  the  natives  find  this 
sort  of  thing  a trifle  monotonous! 

In  due  time  our  stay  at  Concepcion  came  to  an  end, 
and  we  returned  to  Ilo  Ilo,  packed  our  belongings,  and 
sailed  for  Dumaguete,  in  the  island  of  Negros. 

This  was  not  to  be  our  last  visit  to  Panay,  however. 
On  our  second  trip  through  the  Philippines,  before 
Mateo  had  joined  us,  Bourns  and  I decided  to  make 
another  attempt  to  discover  good  collecting  ground  in 
this  island,  and  selected  Capiz,  near  the  north  coast,  as 
our  base  of  operations.  Capiz  is  situated  on  a river, 
and  is  several  miles  inland.  Small  steamers  can  ascend 
the  stream,  but  large  vessels  have  to  lie  some  distance 
offshore  on  account  of  shoals. 

We  arrived  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  as  usual,  and 
were  forced  to  wait  until  morning  in  a miserable  shed 
in  the  midst  of  a mangrove  swamp,  where  we  were 
devoured  by  mosquitoes  and  made  generally  wretched. 
At  daybreak  we  got  a boat  and  sent  our  baggage  on  to 
town  by  water,  going  overland  ourselves. 

On  arriving  at  Capiz,  we  went  to  the  tribunal  and 
asked  for  accommodation.  It  did  not  seem  worth  while 
to  take  a house,  as  we  planned  to  remain  but  a few 
days.  We,  no  doubt,  looked  rather  seedy,  after  our 
night  in  the  shed,  and  the  teniente  primero , who  hap- 
pened to  be  in  charge,  refused  to  take  us  in  until  we 
had  visited  the  gobernadorcillo  and  secured  his  kind 


PAN  AY 


239 


permission  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  common  right  of 
travellers.  This  was  rather  the  coolest  piece  of  impu- 
dence that  had  been  shown  us. 

We  asked  the  teniente  if  he  could  read,  and  on  his 
answering  in  the  affirmative,  presented  Weyler’s  order 
for  his  consideration.  After  he  had  been  given  time  to 
digest  it,  we  ventured  to  suggest  that,  if  perfectly  con- 
venient, it  might  be  well  for  the  capitan  ( gobernador - 
cillo ) to  visit  tis,  and  that  promptly.  He  came,  with 
many  apologies. 

We  were  assigned  to  a large  room  with  numerous 
beds  in  it,  which  served  as  a hospital  in  time  of  epi- 
demic diseases.  Noticing  a curious  piece  of  furniture 
half-way  between  a bed  and  a reclining  chair,  we  in- 
quired its  use,  and  were  informed  that  it  was  for  the 
accommodation  of  delinquent  tax-payers  who  had  been 
whipped  until  they  were  likely  to  die! 

Capiz  is  a town  of  some  25,000  souls,  and  is  in  every 
way  the  complete  opposite  of  Concepcion.  It  is  in  the 
centre  of  a very  productive  district,  and  the  inhabitants 
are,  as  a rule,  well  to  do.  There  were  then  about  a 
hundred  Spaniards  in  the  place,  and  the  Spanish  mes- 
tizo class  was  large,  wealthy,  and  influential. 

The  governor  in  office  at  the  time  of  our  visit  was 
a humane  and  considerate  man,  heartily  interested  in 
promoting  the  welfare  of  his  province,  and  things  were, 
therefore,  at  their  best. 

He  called  on  us  at  once,  and  insisted  that  we  should 


240 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


come  and  live  in  his  house.  This  we  could  not  well 
do,  on  account  of  the  filthy  nature  of  much  of  our  work; 
so  we  declined  his  invitation.  He  satisfied  himself  by 
giving  a very  pleasant  dinner-party  in  our  honour. 

The  captain  of  the  port,  who  spoke  English  perfectly, 
took  it  upon  himself  to  see  that  we  did  not  lack  for 
entertainment  during  our  stay.  Every  evening  he 
marched  us  off  to  visit  the  Spanish  ladies  or  attend 
a mestizo  dance.  One  affair  of  this  sort  to  which  we 
were  invited  was  Oven  in  honour  of  the  marriage  of  the 
gobcrnadorcillo' s son.  Dancing  was  followed  by  a really 
elegant  dinner.  The  table  was  set  with  fine  linen,  cut 
glass,  and  solid  silver,  while  the  guests  sat  on  chairs, 
and  conducted  themselves  with  due  regard  for  the  pro- 
prieties. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  I lost  a fountain-pen. 
Returning  at  noon  the  following  day,  to  ask  if  it  had 
been  found,  I discovered  our  entertainers  of  the  night 
before  squatting  on  the  table , and  eating  rice  and  fish 
out  of  one  dish  with  their  fingers.  I inferred  that  the 
veneer  of  civilization  was  still,  in  their  case,  a trifle 
thin. 

Finding  no  forest  near  Capiz,  we  set  off  for  a place 
called  Balete,  which,  the  governor  assured  us,  was  shut 
in  by  mighty  trees.  To  reach  it  we  had  to  skirt  the 
north  coast  of  Panay  for  some  distance  in  a sail-boat, 
and  then  ascend  a river  in  canoes. 

The  first  evening  found  us  at  the  mouth  of  this 


PAN  AY 


241 


river,  and,  noticing  a native  village  on  shore,  we  landed 
to  seek  a better  place  to  sleep  than  our  boat  afforded. 
The  gobernadorcillo  did  not  understand  Spanish,  but 
he  had  a funny  little  directorcillo  who  did.  This  man 
was  a character,  and  we  at  once  nicknamed  him  “ The 
Superlative.”  Could  he  understand  our  poor  Spanish? 
we  asked.  “ Ok  si,  senores , perfectisimamente  ! ” Was 
there  some  place  where  we  could  sleep?  “ Si  senores , 
muchisimos  lugares  dormibilisimos.”  Were  there  many 
birds  around  Batan  ? “ Muchisimos  pajaros  rarisimos.” 

Could  we  buy  a few  bananas  ? “ Y a lo  crco,  senores, 

aqni  se  vende  la  i7iar  de  platanos  ricisimos.”  The  old 
man  danced  about,  gesticulating  like  a monkey,  drop- 
ping in  now  and  then  an  English  word,  and  ornament- 
ing his  remarks  with  “ isimos  ” until  we  were  reduced 
to  a state  of  complete  helplessness  by  laughter  which 
did  not  seem  to  disconcert  him  in  the  least.  He  was 
quite  original,  and  the  fact  that  a given  word  had  no 
superlative  degree  in  Spanish  did  not  trouble  him  in 
the  least.  He  just  made  one. 

The  next  morning  we  continued  our  journey  up  the 
river  in  a large  banco , or  dugout,  propelled  by  six  oars 
manned  by  as  many  sturdy  men.  As  we  turned  the 
first  bend  in  the  river,  “ The  Superlative  ” waved  his  hat 
and  shouted,  “ Felicisimo  viaje:  muchisima  suerte,y  que 
vuelvan  7istedes  muy  pronto,”  and  so  we  left  him. 

All  day  we  lay  comfortably  on  sleeping-mats  under 
an  awning  at  the  stern,  and  enjoyed  the  wonderful 


242 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


vegetation  along  the  river  banks.  At  first  they  were 
lined  with  mangrove  swamps,  in  which  grew  the  grace- 
ful, feathery  nipa;  further  up  we  saw  beautiful  palms 
and  elegant  tree-ferns. 

When  near  our  destination,  we  passed  close  to  a 
roost  of  immense  fruit-bats,  measuring  from  three  to 
five  feet  across  their  wings.  Thousands  of  them  were 
hanging  head  down  from  the  branches  of  a clump  of 
dead  trees,  and  as  we  came  nearer  we  saw  that  each 
was  fanning  himself  with  one  wing.  They  were  squeal- 
ing and  squawking  at  each  other,  making  a pande- 
monium of  sounds  which  increased  a hundredfold  when 
we  fired  a shot  to  start  them  up.  They  were  unwilling 
to  leave  their  roost  by  day,  however,  and  soon  settled 
down  again. 

In  due  time  we  reached  Balete,  and  found  to  our 
disgust  that  there  was  no  forest  in  sight.  Worse  than 
this,  the  place  was  what  our  cook  called  a pueblo  de 
hambre  (hungry  town).  A recent  failure  of  the  rice 
crop  had  combined  with  a disease,  among  the  buffaloes 
to  bring  the  inhabitants  to  the  verge  of  starvation.  We 
were  advised  to  live  with  the  padre , if  we  wanted  any- 
thing to  eat,  and  accordingly  accepted  his  cordial  invi- 
tation to  do  so.  He  was  a kindly  old  native,  ignorant, 
but  well  meaning.  We  had  a few  supplies  with  us, 
and  as  long  as  they  lasted  contributed  enough  to  the 
common  stock  to  repay  our  host  for  what  he  furnished, 
but  we  soon  came  to  the  end  of  everything  except 


PAN  AY 


243 


rice.  The  discovery  of  some  snipe  in  a neighbouring 
meadow  served  to  tide  over  the  difficulty  temporarily, 
but  the  supply  was  soon  exhausted. 

The  padre  finallv  insisted  that  he  was  going  to  eat 
fruit-bats,  and  he  did.  We  held  out  for  a few  more 
meals,  but  eventually  found  ourselves  starved  down  to  it; 
for  our  stomachs  declined  to  receive  more  boiled  rice, 
and  it  was  bat  or  nothing.  I regret  that  I cannot  say 
the  creatures  were  good,  but  the  fact  is,  they  tasted  very 
much  as  they  smell.  One  who  has  ever  been  near 
them  when  alive  needs  no  further  description  of  their 
flavour,  and  one  who  has  been  spared  that  misfortune 
could  not  possibly  form  an  idea  of  the  taste.  At  all 
events,  they  were  fat,  and  doubtless  nourishing,  and  after 
we  had  learned  to  keep  them  down  we  got  on  very  well. 

We  were  determined  to  find  good  collecting  ground 
in  Panay,  and  hearing  on  reliable  authority  that  there 
really  was  forest  another  day’s  journey  up  the  stream, 
at  a barrio  called  Calantas,  we  hired  a number  of  very 
small  canoes  to  carry  ourselves  and  our  baggage  over 
the  shallows,  and  pushed  on.  One  of  our  servants 
refused  to  accompany  us,  saying  that  there  were  demo- 
nios  in  the  Calantas  forest,  and  he  was  afraid.  We 
laughed  at  the  idea,  but  discovered  later  that  there 
were  at  least  two  kinds  of  devils  there.  There  may 
have  been  more,  but  I can  vouch  for  two. 

As  we  drew  nearer  the  head  waters  of  the  stream, 
it  narrowed  and  shoaled,  while  the  current  grew  so 


244 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


furious  that  our  men  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in 
poling  the  boats  against  it.  It  was  long  after  dark 
when  we  reached  our  destination,  which  proved  to  be 
on  the  very  outskirts  of  civilization.  Beyond  us  lay 
the  territory  of  the  Monteses  (mountain  people).  In 
fact,  the  man  in  whose  house  we  put  up  was  himself 
a Montes,  who  had  been  converted  to  Christianity. 
He  used  sometimes  to  visit  town,  and  served  as  a 
go-between  for  the  savage  and  civilized  natives. 

Even  here  we  found  ourselves  half  a day’s  tramp 
from  good  forest,  and  it  was  arranged  that  one  of  us 
should  hunt  for  three  days,  sleeping  in  a wood-chop- 
per’s hut,  while  the  other  remained  at  Calantas,  car- 
ing for  specimens.  A set  of  runners  kept  the  man 
in  the  forest  supplied  with  clean  guns,  ammunition, 
and  such  food  as  could  be  had,  and  carried  back  the 
birds  that  he  shot  to  the  one  at  the  house.  At  the 
close  of  each  third  day  we  changed  places. 

The  food  question  remained  serious.  We  lived 
on  boiled  rice,  such  edible  birds  as  we  could  kill,  and 
monkeys  when  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  get 
them.  No  bats  could  be  obtained.  We  finally  heard 
of  a native  who  owned  a hog,  and  succeeded  in  buy- 
ing it ; so  that  we  had  meat  enough  until  it  spoiled. 
We  made  very  valuable  collections,  but  hard  work, 
combined  with  insufficient  food,  began  to  tell  on  us, 
and  we  were  on  the  eve  of  taking  our  departure 
when  a most  unfortunate  accident  occurred. 


PANAY 


245 


We  had  found  that  the  Monteses  had  a number 
of  peculiar  ideas.  Among  other  things  they  believed 
that  when  one  of  their  number  died  he  needed  com- 
pany, to  prevent  his  growing  lonely  on  the  long  jour- 
ney which  lay  before  him.  Accordingly  the  relatives 
of  a dead  person  were  expected  to  sally  forth,  armed 
with  lances  or  long  machetes,  and  endeavour  to  supply 
this  want  by  killing  the  first  human  being  whom  they 
met. 

Now  we  were  always  ready  to  adapt  ourselves  to  the 
customs  of  the  place  where  we  happened  to  be,  but 
we  drew  the  line  at  being  sent  as  travelling  compan- 
ions for  deceased  Monteses  on  their  post-mortem 
journeyings ; and  in  order  to  the  more  readily  dis- 
courage any  advances  that  might  be  made  with  a 
view  to  our  serving  in  this  capacity,  we  kept  our 
guns  always  loaded.  The  people  in  the  house  with 
us  knew  this  fact,  and  had  been  repeatedly  warned 
to  let  them  alone,  but  showed  as  little  sense  in  the 
matter  as  might  have  been  expected  of  so  many 
monkeys. 

On  this  unfortunate  day,  I sent  the  cook  to  the 
kitchen  with  two  loaded  guns  which  needed  cleaning. 
Finding  no  one  there,  he  put  them  on  the  floor,  and 
returned  for  a bottle  of  cocoanut  oil.  He  had  hardly 
reentered  the  room  where  we  were  working  when  we 
heard  a muffled  report,  followed  an  instant  later  by  a 
terrible  scream.  The  brother  and  the  little  son  of 


246 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


our  host  had  improved  that  moment  of  time  to  sneak 
up  the  outside  ladder,  and  the  idiotic  ape  of  a man 
had  picked  up  my  heavily  charged  shotgun,  cocked 
the  right  barrel,  aimed  at  the  boy,  and  pulled  trigger, 
blowing  a hole  through  his  right  lung  into  which 
one  could  have  put  a hand.  The  range  was  so  short 
that  the  child’s  clothes  were  set  on  fire  by  the  flash. 
His  mother  had  reached  the  top  of  the  ladder  just 
in  time  to  see  him  fall  dead,  and  it  was  her  scream 
that  we  had  heard.  She  was  naturally  almost  crazed 
by  the  sight,  and  we  were  ourselves  half  stunned  by 
the  horror  of  the  thing. 

The  man  who  had  fired  the  fatal  shot  attempted 
to  escape,  but  we  rounded  him  up  in  short  order,  and 
tied  him  to  a post  in  the  house. 

Attracted  by  the  poor  mother’s  cries,  women  from 
the  neighbouring  houses  came  running  in,  and  on 
learning  the  unhappy  news  threw  themselves  on  the 
floor,  kicking  and  screaming.  We  ordered  the  boy’s 
father  sent  for,  but  were  told  that  we  need  not  con- 
cern ourselves,  as  he  had  already  been  summoned, 
and  would  arrive  quite  soon  enough.  Fearing  that 
there  was  grim  work  ahead,  we  belted  on  revolvers, 
overhauled  magazine  rifles,  and  filled  our  pockets 
with  cartridges.  Then  we  drove  out  the  crowd  of 
hysterical  women. 

The  heart-broken  mother  made  a splendid  effort 
to  control  herself,  and  asked  what  our  preparations 


PAN  AY 


247 


meant.  We  told  her  they  meant  nothing,  unless  we 
were  attacked.  She  then  showed  us  where  her  hus- 
band kept  a wicked  machete  and  an  old  revolver  hid, 
and  we  locked  them  in  one  of  our  chests. 

A moment  later  we  heard  shouts  up  the  river  valley, 
and  saw  a crowd  of  some  twenty  Monteses  running 
toward  us,  brandishing  machetes  and  yelling  like  so 
many  devils.  Our  run-away  servant  had  told  the 
truth  when  he  said  there  were  demonios  in  the  Calan- 
tas  forest.  The  father  of  the  murdered  boy  was  in 
their  midst,  urging  them  on,  and  it  seemed  evident 
that  we  were  in  for  a fight. 

The  house  in  which  we  stood  was  on  the  top  of  a 
steep,  conical  hill,  which  was  almost  bare  of  cover. 
We  thought  that  it  would  be  folly  to  let  those  mad- 
men come  to  close  quarters,  and  started  down  the 
ladder  intending  to  open  fire  on  them  the  instant 
they  began  to  climb  the  ascent.  Our  cook,  however, 
begged  us  not  to  do  this.  He  hastily  reminded  us 
that  the  floor  was  of  boards  and  the  door  solid,  and 
entreated  us  to  wait  and  parley.  It  seemed  useless,  but 
we  were  glad  of  any  excuse  to  put  off  a fight  which 
was  senseless  but  nevertheless  apparently  inevitable. 
Barring  the  door,  we  let  our  foes  come  on  unmolested. 

After  they  had  yelled  around  the  house  awhile,  and 
worked  off  steam  a little,  we  indicated  two  men  who 
were  to  remain  with  the  father,  and  ordered  the  rest 
to  retire  or  take  the  consequences.  They  scuttled  for 


248 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  brush.  We  then  instructed  the  two  men  remaining 
to  lay  down  their  machetes,  disarm  their  companion, 
and  bring  him  into  the  house,  taking  care  that  he  did 
not  get  away  from  them.  At  a word  from  him,  they 
obeyed  with  suspicious  promptness.  The  three  had 
hardly  entered  when  the  father  made  a surprisingly 
easy  escape  from  his  captors,  and  rushed  to  the  place 
where  he  had  concealed  his  arms.  Had  they  been 
there  we  should  certainly  have  been  compelled  to  shoot 
him  in  self-defence.  As  it  was,  he  was  so  upset  over 
not  finding  them  that  we  easily  secured  him  again. 
He  struggled  violently  at  first,  but  eventually  grew 
more  quiet,  and  we  then  went  over  the  whole  story  with 
him,  time  after  time. 

He  invariably  replied  that  had  we  not  been  there  his 
son  would  not  have  been  killed ; therefore  it  was  our 
fault.  At  last  he  agreed  to  take  his  brother  and  the 
dead  child,  and  go  with  us  to  Balete,  lay  the  whole 
matter  before  the  priest,  and  let  him  settle  it.  He  ab- 
solutely refused,  however,  to  let  our  baggage  go  out, 
and  as  we  were  dependent  on  him  for  boats  and  men, 
we  were  at  his  mercy.  We  knew  that  the  enraged 
natives  would  make  a bonfire  of  our  things  the  moment 
our  backs  were  turned,  and  since  we  could  not  possibly 
afford  to  lose  them,  it  was  decided  that  Bourns  should 
go  to  Balete,  while  I remained  to  stand  off  the  crowd 
until  he  could  get  soldiers  through  to  me.  Fortunately 
there  was  a squad  of  the  guardia  civil  at  the  town. 


PAN  AY 


249 


I passed  a rather  uncomfortable  night.  Before  dark 
I left  the  house  for  a moment  to  get  a supply  of 
drinking  water.  Some  time  after  my  return  I noted 
suspicious  movements  in  a pile  of  bedding,  and  on 
investigation  found  two  men  concealed  t’.iere.  They 
were  armed  with  machetes,  and  had  doubtless  meant 
to  butcher  me  before  morning ; but  they  were  evi- 
dently badly  frightened  at  being  discovered,  so  I con- 
ducted them  at  the  point  of  a revolver  to  the  top  of  the 
ladder,  and  contented  myself  with  kicking  them  down  it. 

The  Monteses  howled  around  all  night,  but  the  cook 
was  game,  and  the  somewhat  obtrusive  manner  in  which 
we  displayed  firearms  fortunately  made  it  unnecessary 
to  use  them. 

Shortly  after  daybreak  soldiers  arrived.  They  had 
pushed  up  the  river  at  a tremendous  rate,  and  reached 
me  much  sooner  than  I had  expected.  I was  glad  to 
see  them.  The  Monteses  disappeared  very  suddenly, 
and  hastily  loading  the  baggage  into  boats,  we  made 
the  run  to  Balete  undisturbed. 

On  my  arrival  there  I found  to  my  amusement  that 
the  canny  priest  had  decreed  that  we  should  pay  the 
funeral  expenses.  It  is  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no  one 
good ! 

On  the  following  day  the  poor  boy  was  borne  to  his 
final  resting-place  with  all  the  splendour  that  money 
could  buy  in  Balete.  The  closing  act  in  the  unhappy 
drama  was  a funeral  feast  at  which  Bourns  and  I occu- 


250 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


pied  seats  of  honour ! By  this  time  the  mourning 
father  had  evidently  come  to  regard  the  whole  affair 
as  a most  fortunate  occurrence.  Never  had  he  been 
so  conspicuous  before!  Unfortunately  it  was  otherwise 
with  the  mother.  She  would  not  come  to  the  feast, 
and  refused  to  be  comforted.  Our  hearts  ached  for 
her,  and  her  sad  face  comes  before  me  with  unpleasant 
distinctness  after  all  these  years. 

We  still  had  the  civil  authorities  to  reckon  with. 
In  accordance  with  Spanish  law,  my  gun  was  seized. 
After  a preliminary  hearing  before  a local  justice,  we 
were  ordered  to  report  to  the  alcalde  at  Capiz.  For- 
tunately for  us,  he  was  new  to  his  place,  and  not  sure 
of  his  ground.  Had  this  not  been  the  case,  the  result- 
ing suit  might  have  been  running  yet.  As  it  was,  the 
governor  accompanied  us  to  his  house  and  explained 
the  matter,  putting  it  in  such  a way  that  we  were 
promptly  discharged.  By  a special  dispensation  my 
gun  was  returned  to  me,  though  by  rights  it  should 
have  gone  to  decorate  the  walls  of  the  hall  of  justice. 

We  left  at  once  for  Ilo  Ilo.  Three  hours  after  our 
arrival  I found  that  other  demonios  of  the  Calantas  for- 
est had  managed  to  get  into  my  blood.  They  proved 
to  be  the  germs  of  the  dreaded  calentura  perniciosa. 
Twenty-five  hours  later  I had  reached  the  black- vomit 
stage,  and  from  seven  o’clock  until  midnight  my  com- 
panion and  my  Spanish  physician  waited  for  me  to 
die. 


PAN  AY 


251 


Finding  me  perverse  enough  to  live  on,  the  doctor 
seemed  to  think  it  necessary  to  accelerate  my  departure. 
At  all  events,  he  rubbed  cantharides  into  my  back  with 
a stiff  hair-brush,  and  raised  a blister  the  scar  of  which 
will  accompany  me  to  my  grave.  Not  content  with 
this,  he  gave  me  some  hypodermic,  or  rather  hypomus- 
ciilar,  injections  of  quinine,  finally  running  the  point 
of  his  syringe  through  a nerve  of  my  right  arm  and 
temporarily  paralyzing  my  hand,  the  back  of  which  has 
remained  anaesthetized  to  this  day. 

I declined  to  submit  to  more  injections,  and  for  three 
days  hung  on  the  edge  of  things.  Bourns  finally  dis- 
charged the  doctor,  and  had  a prescription  filled  which 
had  pulled  Hornaday  out  of  a tight  place  in  India.1 
For  the  benefit  of  other  fever  victims  he  had  published 
it  in  his  “ Two  Years  in  the  Jungle,”  and  I fancy  I owe 
my  life  to  that  fact.  At  all  events,  my  temperature, 
which  had  remained  near  104°  for  three  days,  went 
down  to  normal  after  the  third  dose,  and  it  was  six 
months  before  I had  more  fever. 

But  in  twenty-four  hours  la  perniciosa  had  left  me 
with  no  more  strength  than  a child,  while  in  the  three 
days  that  followed  it  had  reduced  me  to  a living 
skeleton.  Our  good  friend,  Mr.  Saul,  again  came  to 
the  rescue,  and  as  soon  as  I could  be  moved,  sent  me 
over  to  his  pleasant  place  at  Salag  Dako,  where  I lived 
for  some  weeks  on  milk  and  lime-water,  and  gradually 
struggled  back  to  health. 

1 See  addendum  preceding  Index. 


252 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Fortunately,  our  first  personal  experience  with  this 
disease  was  our  last.  It  is  not  common,  and  is  very 
local  in  its  occurrence.  The  places  where  one  is  likely 
to  be  infected  with  it  are  usually  well  known,  and  I 
can  confidently  recommend  that  they  be  given  a wide 
berth. 


CHAPTER  XI 


NEGROS 

From  Panay  the  Steere  expedition  sailed  for  Duma- 
guete,  a town  in  southern  Negros,  just  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Tanon  channel  which  separates  that  island  from 
Cebu.  Dumaguete  proved  to  be  a typical  Visayan 
town  of  the  better  class.  Its  shops  were  kept  by  Chinese 
merchants.  The  population,  numbering  perhaps  8000 
souls,  was  composed  chiefly  of  natives,  with  compara- 
tively few  mestizos  and  still  fewer  Spaniards.  The 
soil  near  the  town  was  fertile,  and  the  people  seemed 
prosperous. 

The  public  buildings  were  more  than  ordinarily  im- 
posing. The  church  and  convento  were  in  excellent 
repair,  and  near  them  was  a substantial  structure  which 
had,  in  the  past,  served  the  double  purpose  of  watch- 
tower  and  belfry. 

We  established  ourselves  in  the  tribunal ’ which  was 
unusually  comfortable  for  a building  of  its  kind,  being 
divided  into  several  rooms,  one  of  which  served  as  a 
kitchen,  while  another  afforded  us  some  privacy.  A 
lock-up  was  finished  off  on  the  ground  floor. 


253 


254 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Early  in  our  stay  we  noticed  some  strange  imple- 
ments about  the  place,  and  vainly  attempted  to  con- 
jecture their  use.  The  Philippine  forests  and  jungles 
produce  a large  variety  of  thorn-bearing  pests,  one  of 
which  has  been  heartily  cursed  by  many  a traveller. 


CHURCH,  CONVENTO,  AND  WATCH-TOWER  — DUMAGUETE.  NEGROS 

The  bcjnco  (jungle-rope,  rattan)  has  a stem  of  uniform 
diameter,  which  increases  in  length  as  it  grows,  without 
gaining  in  thickness.  It  terminates  in  a crown  of  leaves, 
from  among  which  arise  a number  of  long,  flexible  pro- 
cesses, slender  as  heavy  twine,  and  circled  at  intervals 
of  an  inch  or  two  by  rings  of  cruel,  recurved  thorns. 


NEGROS 


255 


These  wicked  grappling-lines  droop  into  a path  from 
all  sides,  and,  when  opportunity  offers,  lay  hold  of 
the  passer-by  like  living  things.  One  clutches  his 
cheek ; he  pulls  it  loose,  only  to  find  that  its  swaying 
end  is  fast  to  his  neck,  on  the  other  side,  and  that  the 
hand  with  which  he  has  touched  it  is  powerless  to  let 
go.  With  patience  and  skill  he  finally  releases  him- 
self from  the  first  branch,  but  by  that  time  another 
has  caught  him  in  the  small  of  the  back,  and  yet 
another  is  wound  around  his  legs. 

The  things  are  a perfect  pest.  They  bring  a man 
up  standing  when  he  can  least  afford  to  stop.  They 
fasten  to  his  sun-hat  with  a touch  so  gentle  that  it  re- 
mains unnoticed  until  the  lithe,  swaying  branches  are 
drawn  tight;  then  they  suddenly  fly  back  and  derisively 
hurl  his  head-gear  fifty  feet  down  a steep  hillside.  In 
short,  they  make  life  a burden  for  all  who  come  near 
them. 

The  mysterious  implements  I have  mentioned  con- 
sisted of  bamboo  poles,  each  bearing  two  cross-pieces 
near  one  end,  to  which  were  tied  numerous  bunches  of 
these  slender,  thorn-bearing  processes  of  the  bejnco. 
Blood  on  one  of  them  led  us  to  wonder  if  they  could 
have  been  used  in  flogging  people.  We  asked  the 
gobernadorcillo,  and  he  admitted  that  they  were  some- 
times so  employed,  but  not  often,  as  persons  whipped 
with  them  were  too  apt  to  die.  They  were  designed 
for  capturing  delinquent  taxpayers. 


256 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  hunting  down  of  unfortunates  who  were  in 
debt  to  the  government  was  a regular  Sunday  morning 
pastime  at  Dumaguete.  A squad  of  cuadrillcros  would 
go  out,  armed  with  the  barbarous  contrivances  above 
described,  surround  the  house  of  their  man,  and  call 
on  him  to  surrender.  If  he  attempted  to  escape,  one 
or  more  of  the  “ man-catchers  ” was  flopped  against 
him,  and  after  that  he  had  other  things  to  think  of ! 

When  the  cuadrillcros  returned  with  their  morning’s 
catch,  there  followed  a scene  which  was  not  pleasant 
to  look  upon.  Each  captive  was  compelled  to  strip 
to  the  waist  and  lie  down  on  a bench,  where  he  was 
flogged  in  a most  scientific  manner.  The  stripes  were 
inflicted  with  a rattan  which  cut  the  skin  and  brought 
blood  with  the  first  blow,  and  were  laid  on  diagonally 
across  the  back,  first  from  the  right  side,  then  from 
the  left,  thus  forming  a pleasing  checker-board  pattern. 

We  were  often  forced  to  witness  these  cruel  whip- 
pings during  our  stay.  Some  of  the  victims  lay  still 
and  bore  their  torture  in  silence ; others  cried  out, 
and  threw  themselves  from  the  bench,  with  every  blow. 
If  they  made  too  much  trouble  in  this  way,  they  were 
tied  in  place.  After  the  whipping  they  were  shut  into 
the  jail  beneath  the  tribunal , and  kept  there  until  rela- 
tives or  friends  paid  their  debts.  If  there  was  too  much 
delay,  another  whipping  followed.  Men  sometimes  died 
from  the  effects  of  these  beatings,  and  women  were 
subjected  to  the  same  inhuman  treatment  as  men. 


NEGROS 


257 


A TYPICAL  TRIBUNAL  — DUMAGUETE.  NEGROS 


It  seemed  strange  to  us  that  natives  should  practise 
such  infernal  cruelty  on  their  fellows,  but  there  was 
trouble  in  store  for  the  tax-gatherers  if  the  taxes  were 
not  forthcoming,  and  this  thought  doubtless  goaded 
them  on. 

We  travelled  about  very  little  on  our  first  visit  to 
Negros.  During  our  second  trip  through  the  archi- 
pelago we  returned,  however,  landing  at  Bais,  on  the 
east  coast;  and  after  remaining  there  for  a time,  push- 
ing back  into  the  mountains,  which  extend  through 
the  island  from  north  to  south.  The  highest  peak 
of  the  chain  is  an  active  volcano  called  Malaspina  or 
Canloon,  which  measures  some  8190  feet.  Many  of 


258 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  mountains  are  clothed  with  splendid  forest,  and 
are  peopled  by  wild  Malays  or  Negritos. 

Negros  is  probably  the  richest  island  of  its  size  in 
the  archipelago,  and  the  fertile  lowlands  along  the 
coast  are  extensively  cultivated,  although  much  good 
land  still  lies  idle.  Fine  tobacco  is  grown  in  the 
Escalante  region,  but  sugar  is  the  most  important 
of  the  crops.  Although  the  most  primitive  methods 
of  cultivating  the  cane  and  extracting  the  juice  are 
commonly  employed,  there  are  a number  of  fine  estates 
on  which  comparatively  modern  machinery  is  used. 

It  was  our  good  fortune  while  at  Bais  to  fall  in 
with  Sor.  Montinegro,  or  Don  Joaquin  as  he  was 
familiarly  called,  the  proprietor  of  one  of  the  best- 
ordered  sugar  plantations  in  the  colony.  Finding 
that  we  were  quartered  in  the  tribunal , he  sent  his 
son-in-law,  Don  Ignacio  Simo,  with  an  invitation  for 
us  to  come  out  to  his  plantation  and  live  in  a “ little 
house”  which  stood  idle  there.  We  were  warned  that 
it  was  only  a poor  affair,  but  he  thought  it  might 
afford  us  more  privacy  than  could  be  had  in  the 
quarters  we  were  occupying.  That  there  might  be 
no  doubt  as  to  the  sincerity  of  his  invitation,  he  sent 
his  carriage  to  bring  us,  and  buffalo  carts  for  our 
luggage. 

From  the  description  given  us  we  had  expected  that 
a native  hut  would  be  assigned  to  us,  and  had  seriously 
thought  of  going  over  to  inspect  it  and  make  sure  that 


NEGROS 


259 


it  was  habitable,  before  accepting  the  invitation.  Im- 
agine, then,  our  surprise  on  finding  that  the  “ casita  ” 
was  the  handsome  house  of  Montinegro’s  son,  from 
which  that  unfortunate  young  man  had  been  com- 
pelled to  move  his  family  in  order  to  make  room  for 
us ! The  whole  establishment,  including  glassware, 
silver,  table-linen,  and  servants,  was  put  at  our  disposal. 
Even  then  Don  Joaquin  would  not  allow  us  to  take 
many  meals  at  home.  In  his  large  and  elegant  dwell- 
ing he  had  what  he  delighted  to  call  a “ mesa  elastica  ” 
(elastic  table).  It  could  be  extended  until  it  reached 
clear  across  one  end  of  the  house,  and  he  prided  him- 
self on  the  fact  that  it  was  impossible  to  overtax  his 
hospitality.  Guests  were  welcome  to  come  when  they 
chose,  and  go  when  they  got  ready.  There  was  always 
room  for  more. 

One  of  the  daughters  of  the  house  was  about  to 
celebrate  her  birthday,  and  a week  of  feasting  fol- 
lowed. Spanish  officials  and  wealthy  planters  from 
all  the  region  around  came  to  join  in  the  merry- 
making, and  we  had  a most  enjoyable  time. 

We  were  much  interested  in  the  plantation.  There 
were  six  steam-crushers  on  the  place,  while  cars  pushed 
by  hand  along  a little  tramway  brought  the  cane  from 
the  fields.  Don  Joaquin  told  us  that  it  had  taken 
him  six  years  to  secure  government  permission  for  the 
establishment  of  this  tiny  railroad,  and  to  get  the  plant 
through  the  custom-house.  He  very  strongly  implied 


26o 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


that  it  had  cost  more  than  time  as  well.  Small  wonder 
that  modern  machinery  is  seldom  employed  on  Philip- 
pine plantations. 

When  we  were  on  the  estate,  cane  was  suffering  in 
the  fields  for  want  of  men  to  cut  it.  The  labour  prob- 
lem in  the  Philippines  is  a serious  one  for  all  who  have 
occasion  to  employ  men  in  large  numbers.  I have  of 
late  repeatedly  seen  the  statement  that  the  only  diffi- 
culty is  to  find  work  for  the  labourers,  who  can  be  hired 
cheaply  and  in  any  desired  number.  The  man  who 
should  undertake  any  large  business  enterprise  while 
under  such  a delusion  would  be  foredoomed  to  griev- 
ous disappointment.  In  some  islands  labourers  cannot 
be  had  at  all,  unless  they  are  imported,  and  in  any 
event  it  is  usually  necessary  to  make  them  consider- 
able advances  on  salary  account  before  they  will  do 
anything.  If  they  choose  to  desert  before  working  out 
these  sums  there  is  no  remedy,  and  most  planters 
lose  a good  deal  of  money  in  this  way. 

Don  Joaquin  was  a humane  man,  who  paid  his 
plantation  hands  well  and  dealt  fairly  and  kindly  with 
them,  yet  he  was  often  hampered  by  lack  of  help. 
He  was  in  the  habit  of  sending  boats  to  neighbouring 
islets  where  hard  conditions  made  it  so  difficult  to 
obtain  a livelihood  that  men  were  willing  to  go  away 
from  home  in  order  to  get  work.  They  were  given 
money  to  leave  with  their  families,  and  offered  wages 
much  better  than  any  they  had  ever  earned ; but  the 


NEGROS 


261 


A SPANISH  MESTIZA  — BAIS,  NEGROS 
Taken  at  the  house  of  Sor.  Montinegro 


262 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


result  usually  was  that  they  soon  laid  by  what  was 
for  them  a competency  and  “ retired  from  business.” 

One  day  Don  Ignacio  reported,  with  some  amuse- 
ment and  no  little  vexation,  a conversation  with  a 
native  who  had  occupied  a position  of  trust  on  the 
estate  for  so  many  years  that  he  had  become  almost 
indispensable.  This  man  had  suddenly  announced  his 
intention  to  work  no  more.  Simo  had  berated  him 
for  his  ingratitude,  but  he  had  replied,  “ Senor,  if 
you  were  back  at  your  home  in  Andalusia,  living 
in  a house  as  fine  as  any  in  the  province;  if  your 
food  and  clothing  were  not  only  as  good  as  any  of 
your  neighbours  could  boast,  but  were  all  that  you 
yourself  desired ; if  you  had  money  enough  for  all 
present  and  future  wants,  — would  you  turn  your 
back  up  to  a sun  as  hot  as  this  and  work ?"  There 
lies  the  whole  matter  in  a nutshell.  In  many  parts 
of  the  Philippines  Nature  has  done  so  much  for  the 
people  that  they  have  little  trouble  in  obtaining  food, 
clothing,  and  shelter.  What  more  do  they  require  ? 
Why  should  one  work  and  accumulate  money,  only  to 
be  robbed  of  it  ? Their  losdc  is  unanswerable  under 

O 

present  conditions. 

Don  Ignacio  told  us  that  in  hiring  labourers  he 
rather  preferred  to  get  men  who  drank,  gambled,  or 
played  the  gallera ; for  they  had  more  wants  than  the 
moral  and  sober  native,  and  would  work  more  days  in 
the  year  in  order  to  earn  money  to  satisfy  them. 


NEGROS 


263 


The  average  Visayan,  with  a couple  of  bushels  of 
shelled  corn  or  a caban  of  rice  in  the  house,  and  a 
bit  of  dried  fish  for  dessert,  wisely  lies  on  the  floor, 
smokes  his  cigarette,  thrums  his  guitar,  and  composes 
extemporary  songs  on  current  events.  Why  should  he 
not  ? His  wife  does  the  cooking,  and  brings  the 
water.  When  the  provisions  give  out,  it  will  be  quite 
soon  enough  to  look  for  more. 

Our  kind  host  left  nothing  undone  that  could  add 
to  our  comfort  or  convenience,  but  unfortunately  there 
was  no  forest  within  reach  of  his  plantation,  and  after 
o^atherinor  such  material  as  was  to  be  collected  in  the 
open  country,  we  were  forced  to  plan  a trip  into  the 
mountains.  At  Bais  it  was  only  a matter  of  twelve 
or  fifteen  miles  from  civilization  to  savagery,  and  the 
Monteses  who  inhabited  the  neighbouring  highlands 
bore  rather  an  evil  reputation.  We  were  urged  to 
take  a guard  of  soldiers  with  us,  for  “ moral  effect.” 
This  we  declined  to  do.  Our  experience  had  been 
that  soldiers  always  caused  alarm,  and  often  proved 
the  red  rag  to  the  bull.  On  the  other  hand,  when 
we  boldly  entered  a country  supposed  to  be  danger- 
ous, and  went  quietly  about  our  business,  the  super- 
stitious natives  were,  as  a rule,  not  long  in  concluding 
that  we  had  anting  anting , i.e.  charms,  which  protected 
us  from  harm.  After  once  getting  this  idea  into  their 
heads,  they  treated  us  with  great  consideration. 

On  the  day  appointed  for  the  setting  out  of  our 


264 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


little  expedition,  Don  Joaquin  furnished  us  with 
thirty  carriers  for  our  luggage,  and  horses  for  our- 
selves. I often  pined  for  a Western  cow-boy  and  a 
bucking  broncho,  while  about  that  estate,  in  order  that 
our  Spanish  friends  might  see  some  really  good  rid- 
ing. They  lived  in  the  saddle  from  one  year’s  end 
to  the  other,  and  themselves  rode  like  so  many  Jehus. 
Nothing  delighted  them  so  much  as  to  mount  us  on 
horses  that  had  been  fed  too  much  grain  and  given 
too  little  exercise,  and  then  take  us  on  a wild,  cross- 
country gallop.  Determined  to  keep  up  with  the  pro- 
cession or  die  in  the  attempt,  we  raced  and  jumped 
ditches  as  if  we  liked  it;  but  if  that  kind  Providence 
which  watches  over  drunken  men,  children,  and  fools 
had  not  kept  an  eye  on  us,  we  should  certainly  have 
broken  our  necks. 

For  the  trip  to  the  mountains  I was  mounted  on  a 
particularly  vicious  stallion.  At  the  very  start  he 
slipped  and  fell  heavily,  but  I fortunately  managed  to 
jump  clear.  From  that  moment  he  acted  like  a demon, 
and  finally,  after  we  had  gone  a couple  of  miles,  de- 
liberately reared  and  threw  himself  backward  on  to  me. 
Luckily  we  came  down  in  a freshly  ploughed  cane-field, 
and  nothing  but  rny  dignity  was  injured.  At  a 
neighbouring  plantation  my  unruly  mount  was  ex- 
changed for  a sure-footed  and  perfectly  trained  horse, 
which  took  me  over  a most  difficult  path  as  steadily 
as  if  we  were  on  pavement. 


NEGROS 


265 


We  entered  the  mountains  through  a beautiful 
canon,  threading  our  way  along  the  banks  of  a small 
river.  I noticed  that  one  of  our  Spanish  companions, 
who  carried  a shotgun,  was  eying  the  bushes  sharply, 
and  asked  him  what  he  was  looking  for.  “A  Montes,” 
he  replied ; “ I wish  to  put  a charge  of  shot  into  one, 
and  see  him  run!"  Yet  he  complained  that  the  Mon- 
teses were  “ unsafe.”  Strange  that  it  should  be  so. 

We  at  last  found  a situation  that  suited  us,  but  not 
until  we  had  abandoned  our  horses  and  pushed  for- 
ward for  some  time  on  foot.  In  a little  clearing,  sur- 
rounded on  every  side  by  mighty  forests,  was  a large 
house  belonging  to  a Montes.  It  served  as  a place 
of  meeting  for  the  savage  and  civilized  natives,  the 
former  bringing  their  mountain  rice  or  anything  else 
they  might  have  for  sale,  and  bartering  it  for  cloth, 
tobacco,  and  other  necessaries. 

A stream  of  clear,  cold  water  rushed  past  the  very 
door,  and  the  location  was  an  ideal  one  for  our 
purpose. 

Our  Spanish  friends  stayed  to  dinner  with  us,  but 
were  quite  ready  to  take  their  departure  before  dark, 
and  evening  found  us  alone  among  the  savages. 

Our  house  had  but  a single  room,  in  which  a smoky 
fire  was  burning.  Our  host  was  clad  in  a clout,  and 
our  hostess  in  a piece  of  cloth  reaching  from  her 
waist  to  her  knees,  while  the  younger  members  of 
the  family  were  innocent  of  any  clothing  whatever. 


266 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Six  formidable  lances  decorated  the  wall  on  one  side ; 
five  hungry  dogs  wandered  about  looking  for  a chance 
to  steal  something  to  eat ; and  a flock  of  chickens 
roosted  overhead.  The  top  of  a chest  served  us  for 
a table.  One  of  us  sat  on  a box,  the  other  on  the 
floor;  and  as  we  disposed  of  a supper  of  baking-powder 
flapjacks  and  sardines,  we  bethought  ourselves  of  the 
banquet  of  the  previous  evening,  with  its  elegant  table 
furnishings  and  its  twelve  courses  served  to  hand- 
somely dressed  guests,  and  meditated  on  the  change- 
ableness of  life.  Although  without  any  constitutional 
prejudice  against  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt,  we  just  then 
preferred  our  baking-powder  flapjacks  and  sardines;  for 
we  could  kill  specimens  from  the  very  door,  and  the 
savages  were  in  some  ways  more  interesting  than  our 
civilized  friends. 

We  had  no  difficulty  in  winning  the  good  will  of 
our  entertainers,  who  profited  in  many  ways  by  our 
sojourn  with  them ; but  it  proved  necessary  to  proceed 
with  caution  in  forming  the  acquaintance  of  our  neigh- 
bours. We  learned  later  that  they  at  first  believed  we 
had  come  to  poison  their  stream.  After  watching  us 
for  a time,  however,  they  decided  that  we  were  merely 
harmless  lunatics,  with  a mania  for  gathering  little 
birds,  snails,  and  other  worthless  things.  They  de- 
lighted to  humour  and  encourage  us  in  this  innocent, 
and  to  them  intensely  amusing,  pursuit,  especially  when 
they  discovered  that  we  were  crazy  enough  to  exchange 


NEGROS 


267 


scarlet  cloth,  valuable  brass  rings,  and  priceless  gems 
of  coloured  glass  for  the  forest  plunder  which  they 
brought  us. 

It  was  the  old  story.  Although  poor,  ignorant,  and 
superstitious;  although  they  never  stirred  without  lance 
in  hand,  — they  gave  up  all  idea  of  doing  us  injury  as 
soon  as  they  found  that  we  did  not  intend  to  harm 
them. 

Unfortunately,  however,  they  shared  the  belief  of 
their  brethren  in  Panay  as  to  the  desirability  of  send- 
ing company  with  deceased  relatives.  They  told  us  it 
was  their  custom,  when  one  of  their  number  died,  to 
sally  forth  and  kill  the  first  person  whom  they  met. 
If,  however,  at  the  end  of  the  third  day  they  had  en- 
countered no  one,  they  then  killed  some  animal,  and 
returned  satisfied.  Apparently  as  a result  of  this 
strange  custom,  they  lived  a family  in  a place,  never 
seeming  to  gather  in  villages.  While  anxious  to  secure 
congenial  companions  for  their  own  departed  friends, 
they  were  not  willing  to  accommodate  their  neighbours 
by  serving  them  in  this  capacity,  and  hence  never  left 
their  huts  without  their  lances. 

Parties  of  men  and  women  sometimes  brought  rice 
to  our  house,  and  remained  over  night.  On  such 
occasions  we  usually  entertained  them  with  a magnet, 
a siphon,  or  something  of  the  sort,  and  gave  them 
cigarettes  and  any  food  that  we  had  to  spare,  thereby 
making  them  our  devoted  friends.  One  night  I over- 


268 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


did  it,  first  hypnotizing  a rooster,  and  then  working  the 
time-honoured  trick  of  “chewing  together”  the  cut  ends 
of  a bit  of  cord.  I scared  my  audience  nearly  to  death. 
They  hardly  dared  move,  much  less  speak,  during  the 
remainder  of  the  evening,  and  left  the  next  morning 
without  waiting  to  eat. 

Our  host  and  hostess  shared  in  the  superstitions  of 
their  people.  If  one  of  their  chickens  picked  up  a 
crumb  from  our  table,  they  at  once  presented  the  fowl 
to  us,  in  order  to  avert  harm  from  themselves.  Wild 
hogs  were  rooting  in  a sweet-potato  patch  near  the 
house ; but  it  was  considered  useless  to  watch  for  them 
unless  an  owl  hooted,  as  the  hogs  would  not  leave  the 
forest  until  the  bird  of  wisdom  called  to  them  that  the 
coast  was  clear. 

All  Monteses  stand  in  great  dread  of  a certain 
parasitic  tree,  which  wraps  its  branches  about  the 
trunk  of  some  neighbour  until  this  dies  and  decays, 
leaving  a cavity  surrounded  by  limbs  that  are  inter- 
laced and  grown  together.  We  were  informed  that 
there  were  white  men  inside  of  this  tree,  and  that  its 
branches  would  bleed  if  cut. 

We  were  requested  not  to  go  near  the  Montes 
burying-ground,  and  out  of  deference  to  their  wishes 
scrupulously  kept  away  from  it.  Although  they  were, 
on  the  whole,  so  friendly,  we  learned  little  of  their 
customs  and  beliefs,  being  greatly  hampered  in  our 
intercourse  with  them  by  the  lack  of  a good  inter- 


NEGROS 


269 


preter.  Heavy  rains  and  constant  cloudy  weather 
interfered  with  our  collecting,  kept  us  from  taking 
photographs,  and  swelled  the  stream  in  front  of  our 
house  until  it  made  us  prisoners.  When  at  last  there 
came  a short  lull  in  the  downpour,  accompanied  by  a 
corresponding  fall  in  the  flood,  we  hastened  to  make 
our  escape.  A crowd  of  savages  gathered  in  the 
clearing  to  watch  us  start,  and  when  we  last  saw  them 
they  were  calling  “ Come  back  again  ” at  the  top  of 
their  voices. 

Before  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  canon  we  were 
forced  to  wade  the  stream  thirty-four  times,  in  water 
often  breast-high.  Our  shoes  gave  out,  and  we  were 
barefooted  when  we  finally  reached  the  plantation  where 
I had  changed  horses  going  in.  From  here  we  finished 
our  journey  in  a bullock-cart.  A day’s  rest  put  us  right 
again,  and  a little  later  we  took  steamer  for  Dumaguete, 
which  had  not  changed  much  in  the  three  years  since 
we  last  saw  it,  although  in  the  meantime  Negros  had 
been  divided  into  two  provinces,  and  it  had  been  made 
the  capital  of  the  eastern  one. 

The  governor  proved  to  be  an  old  acquaintance, 
whom  we  had  met  before  in  Samar,  and  I shall  have 
more  to  say  of  him  later. 

We  found  that  the  guardia  civil  had  been  having  a 
hard  time  trying  to  run  down  a famous  tulisan  leader, 
one  Ca  Martin.  Brigandage  is  a serious  matter  in  some 
parts  of  the  Philippines.  The  bands  of  outlaws  who  go 


270 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


under  the  name  “ tulisanes  ” are  largely  composed  of 
escaped  criminals  and  fugitives  from  justice,  but  are 
often  recruited  from  the  ranks  of  the  numerous  class 
who  have  suffered  bitter  wrongs  at  the  hands  of  officials 
or  friars,  while  young  blades  sometimes  join  them  from 
pure  love  of  adventure.  In  rare  instances  tulisanes  pose 
as  decent  citizens,  and  live  scattered  among  the  law- 
abiding  villagers,  gathering  in  bands  only  when  they 
have  some  deviltry  on  hand.  More  commonly,  however, 
they  dwell  apart,  in  some  mountain  fastness  where  it 
is  very  difficult  to  find  them  and  well-nigh  impossible 
to  capture  them. 

They  are  under  some  leader  who  is  almost  invariably 
believed  to  have  anting  anting , and  at  his  direction  they 
descend  on  the  defenceless  planters  and  rob,  burn,  and 
murder,  sometimes  carrying  off  prisoners  and  holding 
them  for  ransom.  A friar  was  kidnapped  in  the  very 
streets  of  Manila,  just  before  my  final  departure  from 
that  city,  by  two  tulisanes  cleverly  disguised  as  mem- 
bers of  his  order. 

The  guardia  civil  have  done  admirable  service  in 
hunting  these  cowardly  assassins  down,  in  spite  of 
small  encouragement,  for  no  sooner  is  a tulisan  leader 
taken  by  them,  and  turned  over  to  stand  trial,  than 
there  is  a remarkable  escape;  or  if  this  does  not  happen, 
he  is  usually  acquitted.  Should  the  evidence  against 
him  be  so  damning  as  to  make  acquittal  absolutely 
out  of  the  question,  he  may  be  convicted,  but  even 


NEGROS 


271 


then  is  likely  to  “ escape  ” from  the  local  jail.  At  the 
worst  he  is  deported  to  some  penal  settlement,  instead 
of  being  shot  or  garroted,  as  the  law  provides  that  he 
shall  be.  Meanwhile,  the  officials,  whose  business  it  is 
to  see  justice  done,  grow  no  poorer. 

There  are  a good  many  chances  in  ten  that  a few 
months  after  a tulisan  has  been  hunted  down  he  will  be 
back  in  his  old  haunts,  and  the  chase  will  begin  over 
again.  Small  wonder  that  the  guardia  sometimes  take 
the  law  into  their  own  hands.  A captain  once  told  me 
that  having  had  tulisanes , whom  he  had  been  at  much 
trouble  to  capture,  released  on  several  occasions,  he 
changed  his  policy.  Thereafter,  while  bringing  them 
in,  he  ordered  his  men  ahead,  saying  that  he  would 
watch  the  prisoners,  and  as  soon  as  the  soldiers  were 
out  of  sight,  got  two  of  the  worst  rascals  in  line,  and 
put  a bullet  through  them,  — reporting  to  his  men,  who 
of  course  came  running  back,  that  they  had  tried  to 
escape. 

The  character  of  Spanish  administration  of  affairs  in 
the  archipelago  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that 
although  the  west  coast  of  Mindoro  has  long  been 
known  to  be  peopled  by  these  outlaws,  no  . serious 
attempt  has  been  made  to  break  up  their  settlements. 
Worse  than  this,  they  have  had  a stronghold  close  to 
Manila  which  has  not  been  so  much  as  attacked. 

The  officer  who  was  after  Ca  Martin,  in  Negros,  had 
a hard  problem  to  solve.  The  bandit  was  believed  to 


2*]2 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


have  anting  anting , having  earned  this  reputation  by 
escaping  the  fire  of  six  native  soldiers,  at  a range  of  a 
dozen  yards.  They  were  scared  nearly  to  death,  and 
doubtless  shut  their  eyes  before  drawing  trigger;  but 
they  reported  that  their  bullets  had  glanced  from  his 


A GOBERNADORCILLO  AND  HIS  WIFE  — BAIS,  NEGROS 


body,  and  their  tale  was  believed.  The  story  lost  noth- 
ing in  the  telling,  and  at  the  time  I mention  the  hero  of 
it  was  believed  to  have  a new  charm,  by  virtue  of  which 
he  could  step  from  one  mountain  peak  to  another,  or 
precipitate  a rushing  stream  of  ice-cold  water  on  any  one 
hardy  enough  to  pursue  him.  These  child’s  tales  were 
implicitly  believed,  not  only  by  the  natives  but  even  by 


NEGROS 


273 


intelligent  mestizos.  I heard  them  from  the  gobernador- 
cillo  of  Bais  (see  opposite  page),  who  vouched  for  their 
truth. 

But  the  things  this  fiend  incarnate  really  did  do  were 
sufficiently  unusual  to  require  no  embellishment.  He 
had  a cheerful  way  of  taking  a small  child,  tying  one  of 
its  legs  to  a tree,  and  pulling  at  the  other  until  he  tore 
the  body  open.  So  much  the  officer  in  command  of 
the  force  which  had  been  operating  against  him  vouched 
for.  The  natives  believed  that  he  feasted  on  the  livers 
of  his  victims,  which  would  certainly  seem  within  the 
bounds  of  possibility. 

While  taking  no  stock  in  any  seven-league-boot 
theory,  the  officer  above  mentioned  admitted  that  he 
found  the  man  a puzzle.  After  surrounding  him  in  a 
small  patch  of  forest,  from  which  escape  seemed  utterly 
impossible,  he  had  drawn  in  his  lines  and  found  only  a 
dismembered  child.  His  theory  was  that  the  bandit 
climbed  large  trees,  by  means  of  rattans  and  creepers, 
and  hid  among  their  branches  or  in  their  hollows.  At 
all  events  he  contrived  to  slide  out  of  more  than  one 
tight  place  in  a very  mysterious  fashion. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  has  long  since  been  capt- 
ured, and  that  the  officer  who  took  him  had  exectitive 
ability ; but  when  we  left  Negros  he  was  still  at  large 
and  his  name  was  one  to  conjure  by. 


CHAPTER  XII 


SIQUIJOR 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  Steere  expedition  at 
Dumaguete,  Mateo  was  sent  to  collect  in  the  neighbour- 
ing island  of  Siquijor,  which  lies  some  fifteen  miles  to 
the  southeast.  Hearing  good  reports  of  his  success, 
Bourns  and  I decided  to  follow  him,  and  one  day  en- 
gaged passage  on  a native  sail-boat  which  was  to  leave 
at  five  the  following  morning. 

We  were  ready  at  four,  as  men  had  promised  to  come 
for  our  baggage  at  that  time,  but  they  did  not  appear 
until  six,  and  it  was  ten  by  the  time  they  had  taken  our 
last  chest.  When  we  ourselves  reached  the  beach,  we 
found  our  belongings  piled  in  a heap  on  shore,  instead 
of  in  the  boat,  while  the  crew  had  gone  to  get  breakfast. 
They  did  not  hurry  over  the  meal,  and  when  at  last 
they  returned,  it  took  another  hour  to  load  the  baggage. 

In  order  to  reach  the  boat,  which  was  some  distance 
offshore,  we  had  each  to  ride  out  astride  a man’s  shoul- 
ders. Bourns  got  on  very  well,  but  I was  fifty  pounds 
heavier  than  the  fellow  who  tried  to  carry  me,  and  the 
strong  swell  made  him  sway  and  totter  in  a most  alarm- 
ing manner.  Just  as  I thought  myself  safe,  he  stubbed 

274 


SIOUI J OR 


275 


NATIVE  SAII.-BOAT  WITH  BAMBOO  OUTRIGGERS  — MINDORO 


2 y6 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


his  toe  and  pitched  forward,  shooting  me  over  his  head. 
I barely  caught  the  edge  of  the  boat,  while  the  man 
retained  his  hold  on  my  ankles,  and  recovered  himself, 
so  that  I hung  suspended.  My  frantic  efforts  to  get  on 
board  without  a ducking  finally  ended  in  my  landing  a 
kick  on  the  nose  of  my  bearer  which  knocked  him  into 
the  water,  where  I of  course  joined  him,  to  the  intense 
delight  of  a large  crowd  of  spectators. 

I scrambled  aboard  in  very  poor  humour,  but  there 
were  worse  trials  to  come.  Our  men,  instead  of  making 
sail,  gathered  in  the  bow  and  began  to  gamble.  We 
tried  for  some  time  to  find  out  why  they  did  not  start, 
but  none  of  them  spoke  Spanish,  and  we  did  not  un- 
derstand their  Visaya,  so  that  we  made  little  headway 
until  we  found  an  interpreter.  We  then  learned  that 
the  wind  did  not  suit  them,  and  they  proposed  to  wait 
until  it  changed. 

At  half-past  two  we  got  off,  with  a fresh  breeze  blow- 
ing from  the  north.  When  we  were  about  five  miles 
out  it  suddenly  veered  toward  the  east,  at  the  same  time 
increasing  in  strength  until  things  began  to  look  ugly. 
The  sky  darkened,  and  to  the  south  of  us  we  could  see 
a mighty  waterspout  marching  grandly  along. 

We  had  a good  stanch  boat,  with  strong  bamboo 
outriggers,  but  the  wind  was  dead  abeam  and  the  sea 
rising  rapidly.  Our  men  handled  their  craft  with  won- 
derful skill.  When  she  began  to  heel  over  dangerously, 
instead  of  reefing  sails  or  changing  course  they  sent  one 


SIQUIJOR 


277 


of  their  number  out  to  windward,  to  sit  on  the  outrigger. 
As  the  wind  increased  in  violence  a second,  then  a third, 
and  finally  a fourth  man  walked  out  on  the  centre  cross- 
piece, holding  to  the  stays  of  the  mainmast.  Two  of 
the  crew  sat  astride  the  outrigger,  while  the  others  stood 
close  to  it,  keeping  the  boat  on  a fairly  even  keel.  We 
should  have  done  very  well  had  the  wind  held  steady, 
but  it  began  to  come  in  puffs  and  sudden  squalls.  The 
men  watched  it  closely,  running  further  out  as  a squall 
bore  down  on  us,  and  hurrying  in  when  the  wind  slack- 
ened ; but  with  all  their  remarkable  skill,  they  made  an 
occasional  miscalculation,  bringing  the  outrigger  down 
just  in  time  to  cut  the  top  off  a wave  and  send  it  flying 
aboard. 

The  position  of  the  men  who  were  balancing  the  boat 
soon  became  precarious.  One  moment  they  were  six 
feet  above  the  water,  and  the  next  up  to  their  necks 
in  it.  We  feared  they  might  be  washed  away,  but  they 
hung  on  grimly,  with  their  teeth  chattering. 

Our  sail  was  old  and  rotten,  and  the  strain  finally 
proved  too  much  for  it.  There  came  a sharp  report, 
and  it  burst  through  the  middle.  In  five  minutes 
it  was  blown  to  ribbons,  and  we  were  drifting  at  the 
mercy  of  the  waves.  For  some  time  all  hands  bailed 
for  dear  life,  but  the  water  gained  on  us  steadily,  and 
it  looked  as  if  we  were  bound  to  fill  and  lie  disabled 
until  the  outriggers  carried  away,  when  we  should 
inevitably  go  to  the  bottom. 


278 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Two  of  the  men  suddenly  stopped  bailing  and  began 
to  overhaul  the  cargo.  To  our  amazement  they  un- 
earthed a new  sail,  which,  by  chance,  they  had  under- 
taken to  carry  over  to  a friend.  How  they  managed 
to  rig  it  I could  never  see.  The  boat  was  pitching 
and  tossing  like  a mad  thing,  and  I thought  the  man 
who  climbed  the  mast  would  be  thrown  overboard, 
if  indeed  the  mast  itself  did  not  go  with  him.  I 
was  too  busy  to  pay  much  attention  to  anything  but 
the  bailing,  however;  for  the  fuller  the  boat  got  the 
faster  she  filled.  It  was  touch-and-go  business,  and 
for  a time  it  seemed  as  if  we  should  be  awash  before 
they  could  get  the  sail  up ; but  they  won  out  at  the 
finish.  We  all  drew  a long  breath  when  at  last  the 
boat  began  to  draw  ahead  again. 

Once  under  way,  we  soon  got  most  of  the  water 
out  of  her;  but  while  disabled  we  had  drifted  so  rapidly 
that  we  had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  the  ex- 
treme southern  point  of  our  island,  reaching  shore 
at  last  many  miles  from  the  town  of  Siquijor.  It 
was  out  of  the  question  to  make  headway  against 
such  a wind,  so  we  tried  to  gain  the  entrance  of  a 
sheltered  cove,  poling  along  for  some  distance,  in  great 
danger  of  being  smashed  against  coral  reefs  by  the 
heavy  surf.  When  at  last  we  found  ourselves  in  quiet 
water,  darkness  had  fallen. 

Our  position  was  anything  but  pleasant.  The  shore 
was  lined  with  mangrove  swamps,  through  which  it 


SIQUIJOR 


279 


would  be  impossible  to  make  our  way  in  the  dark. 
The  rain  was  coming  down  in  torrents,  while  the 
wind  blew  with  ever-increasing  violence.  We  had 
expected  to  complete  the  run  in  three  hours  at  the 
longest,  and  were  without  food.  It  had  been  very 
hot  when  we  started,  and  we  were  dressed  in  the 
thinnest  of  clothing.  Wet  to  the  skin  as  we  were, 
the  piercing  wind  chilled  us  to  the  bone. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  make  the  best 
of  a bad  job,  so  we  covered  ourselves  as  well  as  we 
could  with  the  loosely  woven  sail,  which  served  only 
to  strain  the  rain-water,  and  lay  down  on  the  convex 
bamboo  deck.  Sleep  was  out  of  the  question.  The 
tide  went  down,  leaving  us  stranded  with  the  boat’s 
nose  on  a rock,  so  that  our  feet  were  soon  higher  than 
our  heads ; but  we  had  no  light,  and  thought  it  best 
to  lie  still.  Huddling  close  together  for  warmth, 
we  shivered  until  day  began  to  dawn. 

As  soon  as  we  could  see  at  all,  we  bethought  our- 
selves of  our  men,  whom  we  found  squatting  in  the 
mud  on  the  lee  side  of  the  boat.  All  but  one  were 
stupid  with  fever.  We  wanted  them  to  search  for  a 
house,  but  not  a man  would  budge.  We  could  not 
make  up  our  minds  to  lie  down  again,  so  tried  standing 
on  the  slanting  deck  of  our  boat ; but  the  wind  chilled 
us  so  that  we  were  finally  forced  to  wade  ashore, 
where  we  eventually  found  a little  hard  ground,  and 
ran  up  and  down,  to  quicken  our  circulation. 


28o 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


After  warming  up  a bit  we  held  a council  of  war, 
and  it  was  decided  that  Bourns  should  search  for  a 
house,  while  I watched  the  boat. 

An  hour  later  I saw  a strange  figure  coming  toward 
me,  which  resolved  itself  into  a native  as  it  drew 
nearer.  He  was  clad  in  an  old  burlap  sack.  A hole 
in  its  bottom  gave  exit  to  his  head ; two  other  openings 
in  the  sides  served  a similar  purpose  for  his  arms, 
while  his  legs  projected  through  what  had  once  been 
the  top.  He  wore  an  immense  rain-hat,  and  carried 
a piece  of  sacking  in  his  hands,  which  he  held  up  as 
a screen  from  the  wind.  Making  me  a profound  bow, 
he  pulled  off  his  hat  and  took  out  of  it  a water-soaked 
note  from  Bourns,  which  read,  “ Have  found  a house. 
Come  up  and  get  some  parched  corn.” 

We  had  money,  guns,  and  ammunition  in  the  boat, 
and  I disliked  to  leave  it ; but  the  men  were  certainly 
too  ill  to  run  away,  and  the  thunder  of  the  surf  outside 
of  the  cove  made  it  evident  that  they  could  hardly  make 
off  by  sea.  Telling  them  to  watch  our  belongings, 
I followed  my  guide,  who  took  me  a mile  up  the 
beach  in  the  teeth  of  a howling  gale  that  sometimes 
almost  threw  us  down,  and  then  struck  inland.  After 
a weary  tramp  we  reached  a wretched  hut,  ten  feet 
by  twelve.  Here  I found  Bourns,  sitting  on  the  floor 
and  eating  parched  Indian  corn  from  the  cob,  while 
a shivering  native  crouched  over  the  fire  toasting 
another  ear. 


SIQUIJOR 


281 


We  were  ravenously  hungry,  but  the  corn,  which 
was  both  ripe  and  dry,  required  a deal  of  grinding, 
and  did  not  prove  very  “ filling.”  Presently  we  heard 
a great  commotion  at  the  side  of  the  house,  and 
on  investigation  found  that  our  host  was  disturbing 
his  one  sitting  hen,  to  get  us  some  eggs.  We  asked 
how  long  they  had  been  sat  on,  and  were  informed 
“ dos  semanas,  no  mas  ” (only  two  weeks).  The  idea 
was  not  altogether  pleasing,  but  we  had  been  thirty 
hours  without  food,  had  suffered  much  from  exposure, 
and  had  long  since  passed  the  fastidious  stage. 

I am  sure  that  the  hen  and  her  nine  eggs  were  the 
whole  fortune  of  that  poor  family ; but  six  of  the  eggs 
were  cooked  for  us,  and  after  refreshing  ourselves  with 
three  young  chickens  each,  we  lay  down  and  were 
covered  up  with  all  the  clothing  that  the  region 
afforded.  The  news  of  our  arrival  had  spread,  and 
there  was  an  eye  at  every  crevice  in  the  hut.  The 
natives  willingly  stood  in  the  rain  for  a chance  to  get 
a peep  at  us.  There  were  many  expressions  of  pity  for 
our  condition.  Men  stripped  off  shirts,  and  women 
their  outer  skirts,  to  make  us  more  comfortable ; but 
we  could  not  get  warm.  Our  teeth  chattered  harder 
and  harder,  and  we  decided  that  if  we  were  to  avert 
serious  consequences  we  must  hurry  on  to  town,  where 
we  could  find  food  and  decent  shelter. 

Securing  a guide,  we  set  off  on  the  weariest  tramp  it 
has  ever  been  my  misfortune  to  take.  The  surface  of 


282 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  island  is  broken  into  small  but  steep  hills,  and  the 
soil  is  a blue  clay.  It  stuck  to  our  feet  until  we  could 
hardly  lift  them,  so  we  each  made  a wooden  scraper, 
and  stopped  every  few  rods  to  dig  it  off.  The  rain  fell 
without  cessation,  and  when  we  at  last  reached  Siquijor, 
we  were  more  dead  than  alive. 

We  found  Mateo  in  the  house  of  a well-to-do  mestizo , 
who  at  once  got  us  a hot  meal.  Bourns  was  speedily 
fitted  out  with  dry  clothes,  but  with  me  it  was  another 
matter,  as  there  was  not  a man  in  the  village  of  any- 
thing like  my  size.  I was  finally  forced  to  content 
myself  with  a pair  of  pantaloons  which  terminated  mid- 
way between  my  knees  and  ankles,  and  a native  shirt 
which  was  too  small  to  button.  A crowd  had,  of  course, 
gathered,  and  when  I appeared  to  them  in  my  new 
costume  they  laughed  until  they  were  tired.  I fancy 
the  rig  was  a trifle  picturesque,  but  it  was  much  more 
satisfactory  than  my  wet  one,  and  I was  happy.  Dinner 
eaten,  we  lay  down  on  the  floor,  and  it  was  well  toward 
noon  the  next  morning  before  we  opened  our  eyes. 

The  storm  continued  for  two  days.  One  of  our  first 
acts  on  reaching  town  had  been  to  despatch  food  and 
clothing  for  our  boatmen ; and  when  the  weather  finally 
moderated  our  baggage  was  brought  around  by  sea,  and 
we  established  ourselves  in  the  tribunal.  All  the  public 
buildings  of  the  place  were  well  constructed.  The  co)i- 
vento  had  once  served  the  purpose  of  a fort,  while  a 
picturesque  old  stone  watch-tower  stood  on  a neighbour- 


SI  Q U I J O R 


283 


ing  hill.  The  tribunal  was  a large  building,  with  lime- 
stone foundation,  board  floor  and  sides,  and  a nipa  roof. 

We  looked  out  upon  the  town  market-place  and  cock- 
pit. The  view  from  our  east  window  is  reproduced  on 
page  285. 

The  people 
were  more  indus- 
trious than  any 
we  had  met  since 
leaving  El  Reco- 
do,  and  were  soon 
bringing  us  in 
specimens  at  an 
astonishingly  live- 
ly rate.  When 
Sunday  came 
we  were  fairly 
swamped,  and 
every  few  minutes 
had  to  drive  out 
the  crowd  and 
shut  up  our  room, 
while  we  stowed  away  the  things  we  had  bought,  to 
make  room  for  more.  The  natives  had  never  before 
seen  an  “ ingles ,”  and  from  morning  to  night  every  door, 
window,  knot-hole,  and  crevice  that  commanded  a view 
of  us  had  its  delegation,  who  watched  us,  or  waited  anx- 
iously for  a chance  to  do  so. 


WATCH-TOWER  FOR  DEFENCE  AGAINST  THE 
MOROS  — SIQUIJOR 


284 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


At  meal-time  there  was  much  excitement,  and  it  ap- 
parently filled  the  spectators  with  awe  and  admiration 
to  see  us  use  forks  and  spoons.  Sunday  is  a great  day 
in  every  Philippine  village.  People  come  in  by  the 
hundred  from  the  surrounding  country  to  attend  mass, 
unless  indeed  they  are  all  compelled  to  live  in  town. 
After  service  the  women  go  to  the  market-place  and 
exchange  wares  and  gossip,  while  the  men  hurry  off  to 
the  gallera  (cockpit),  to  match  their  fighting  cocks. 

Cock-fighting  may  safely  be  called  the  national  vice 
in  the  Philippines.  The  natives  are  born  gamblers,  and 
poor  indeed  is  the  man  who  does  not  own  at  least  one 
trained  bird,  which  he  has  very  probably  brought  up 
from  a chick.  Nothing  is  more  common  than  to  see  a 
man  with  his  pet  cock  under  his  arm,  and  at  every  stop 
he  caresses  it  and  talks  to  it  as  if  it  were  a child. 

The  fighting  is  controlled  by  law,  not  with  a view  to 
its  suppression,  but  rather  for  the  purpose  of  drawing 
from  it  all  the  revenue  possible.  In  most  towns  it  is 
limited  to  Sundays  and  feast-days.  The  elite,  as  well 
as  the  rabble,  of  a village  gather  at  the  gallera , a piece 
of  smooth,  hard  ground,  surrounded  by  a low  bamboo 
fence,  outside  of  which  there  are  usually  seats  for  spec- 
tators, shaded  by  a nipa  roof. 

Two  birds  are  brought  into  the  enclosure  by  their 
respective  owners.  A keen  gaff,  from  two  to  two  and 
a half  inches  long,  is  tied  to  the  left  leg  of  each.  Mean- 
while bets  are  made,  and  money  is  deposited.  The  law 


SIQUI  JOR 


285 


MARKET-PLACE  AND  ENTRANCE  TO  COCKPIT  SIQUIJOR 


286 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


limits  the  amount  which  any  one  person  may  wager  on 
a fight  to  fifty  dollars,  but  little  attention  is  paid  to  this 
provision. 

When  all  is  ready,  the  judge  takes  his  position  in  the 
centre  of  the  ring,  the  owners  put  their  birds  down 
close  to  each  other,  and  then  pull  them  backward  by 
their  tails,  repeating  the  operation  until  their  fighting 
propensities  are  fully  aroused. 

When  they  are  finally  released,  they,  as  a rule,  fly  at 
each  other  immediately.  Should  either  bird  decline  to 
fight  at  the  outset,  or  run  away  at  any  time,  he  is  de- 
clared a loser.  There  is  seldom  any  running,  however, 
until  one  or  the  other  bird  has  received  a fatal  hurt,  and 
not  often  then.  It  sometimes  happens  that  both  are 
killed  in  the  very  first  fly,  but  a fight  usually  lasts 
several  minutes.  Old  and  experienced  birds  often  dis- 
play a good  deal  of  generalship,  and  each  well-planned 
blow  or  skilfully  executed  dodge  brings  cheers  from  the 
backers  of  the  one  or  the  other.  When  the  fight 
ends,  pandemonium  breaks  loose.  The  winners  jump 
on  to  the  seats,  and  caper  and  yell  like  crazy  men. 
After  things  have  quieted  down  a little,  another  match 
is  started,  and  so  it  goes  until  the  supply  of  cocks  is 
exhausted,  or  darkness  prevents  more  fights. 

Little  mercy  is  shown  to  birds  that  prove  cowardly. 
I have  seen  them  plucked  alive  and  turned  loose.  A 
winner,  however,  naturally  becomes  more  than  ever  the 
pet  of  his  proud  master,  the  height  of  whose  ambition  is 


SI  QU  I J OR 


287 


to  put  down  in  the  ring  a bird  that  none  of  his  neigh- 
bours will  dare  to  match. 

The  traveller  soon  comes  to  detest  game-cocks  ; for  he 
is  often  compelled  to  pass  the  night  in  the  same  room 
with  them,  and  they  begin  to  crow  about  three  in  the 
morning,  after  which  time  sleep  is  impossible.  On  dif- 
ferent occasions  we  tried  a variety  of  expedients  to  quiet 
the  noisy  creatures.  It  was  an  easy  matter  to  put  the 
head  of  one  under  its  wing,  turn  it  feet  up,  describe  two 
or  three  imaginary  figure  eights  in  the  air  with  it,  and 
lay  it  on  its  back,  where  it  would  remain  indefinitely 
unless  disturbed.  The  owners  objected  to  this  treat- 
ment, however,  thinking  that  we  were  bewitching  their 
birds,  and  they  would  be  unlucky  in  consequence.  A 
quart  or  two  of  water,  judiciously  applied,  sometimes 
produced  the  desired  effect ; but  the  best  plan  we  ever 
hit  upon  was  to  open  the  beak,  and  snap  a fine  rubber 
band  around  the  back  of  the  head  and  through  the 
mouth,  whereupon  the  bird  would  become  so  much  en- 
Sfasred  in  its  efforts  to  swallow  the  band  that  it  would 
forget  to  crow. 

Just  after  mass,  on  our  first  Sunday  in  Siquijor,  we 
received  a very  curt  intimation  that  the  padre  was  wait- 
ing at  the  convento  to  see  us.  We  ought  to  have  called 
on  him  before,  but  the  fact  was,  all  our  decent  clothes 
had  been  soaked  on  our  arrival,  and  we  had  been  at  the 
mercy  of  a laundress,  who  had  been  most  aggravatingly 
slow. 


288 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  padre  was  apparently  cpiite  over  his  haste  to  see  us 
by  the  time  we  reached  the  convento , and  kept  us  waiting 
for  more  than  an  hour  before  we  were  so  much  as  shown 
upstairs.  Finally,  as  we  were  about  to  leave  in  dis- 
gust, we  were  summoned  into  the  august  presence,  and 
given  a severe  cross-examination  as  to  our  business  in 
Sicpiijor.  The  man  was  not  even  civil,  but  he  looked 
like  a dyspeptic,  and  may  have  had  some  excuse  for  his 
sour  temper.  It  was  apparently  with  much  hesitation 
that  he  kindly  consented  to  allow  us  to  continue  our 
work. 

Siquijor  belongs  to  a province  of  which  Bohol  forms 
the  major  part,  and  as  the  governor  naturally  resides  in 
the  larger  island,  the  friars  have  things  their  own  way 
in  the  smaller  one.  The  specimen  under  discussion  was 
hated  and  feared  by  his  own  flock.  He  frowned  on  all 
their  innocent  merry-makings,  and  had  a cheerful 
custom  of  summoning  men,  women,  or  children  whom 
he  suspected  of  shortcomings,  and  beating  them  most 
unmercifully  with  his  own  hand. 

He  was  so  fully  occupied  with  caring  for  the  morals 
of  the  community  that  he  had  scant  time  to  look  after 
his  own.  When  we  returned  later,  after  a three  years’ 
absence,  he  had  just  taken  his  departure.  Meanwhile 
the  number  of  Spanish  mestizo  children  in  the  place 
had  increased  by  ten. 

Within  a few  days  of  the  time  we  first  reached  Siqui- 
jor, the  inhabitants  had  resolved  themselves  into  a com- 


SIOUIJOR 


289 


mittee  of  the  whole  to  provide  us  with  specimens,  and 
were  coining  money  at  a,  to  them,  unprecedented  rate. 
The  island  itself  is  little  better  than  a limestone  rock. 
In  fact,  there  is  a tradition  among  the  natives  that  it  was 
thrown  up  from  beneath  the  sea  within  the  memory  of 
their  ancestors.  The  story  goes  that  a cloud  rested  on 
the  sea  for  many  days,  and  out  of  it  issued  lightning 
and  strange  noises.  When  at  last  it  cleared  away,  there 
stood  Sicjuijor.  The  old  name  of  the  island,  islade fuego , 
is  based  on  this  story,  which  is  in  all  probability  true. 

Sea-shells  may  be  found  on  the  tops  of  the  highest 
hills,  while  every  rock  cracked  open  with  the  geological 
hammer  shows  evident  signs  of  coral  structure.  Little 
soil  has  as  yet  accumulated,  and  what  there  is  lacks 
much  of  being  fertile ; so  that  the  people  have  a hard 
time  to  get  a living.  We  found  plenty  of  men  who 
were  glad  to  serve  us  for  five  cents  per  day,  and  not  a 
few  who  asked  only  for  food;  this,  too,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  cocoanuts  sold'  at  six  for  a penny,  chickens 
at  from  four  to  five  cents  each,  and  eggs  four  for  a cent. 
There  was  no  one  for  whom  the  people  could  work ; no 
one  to  whom  they  could  sell  their  surplus  produce,  and 
it  was  almost  impossible  for  them  to  get  money  with 
which  to  pay  their  taxes. 

We  came  to  take  a genuine  interest  in  our  villagers. 
They  had  been  so  kind  to  us  on  our  arrival,  and  had 
worked  so  diligently  for  us  thereafter,  that  we  soon  grew 
to  have  a very  sincere  regard  for  them. 


290 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Evenings  passed  rather  drearily  with  us.  Our  only 
light  was  a cocoanut-oil  dip,  and  we  could  not  work  or 
read  in  the  darkness  which  this  rather  primitive  lamp 
simply  made  visible.  For  the  want  of  more  profitable 
occupation  we  used  sometimes  to  amuse  ourselves  by 
singing  college  songs.  Unbeknown  to  us,  the  villagers 
were  in  the  habit  of  gathering  underneath  the  tribunal, 
to  listen.  At  length  they  made  bold  to  ask  for  admis- 
sion. We  at  first  felt  somewhat  embarrassed,  as  we  were 
not  accustomed  to  performing  in  public,  but  we  finally 
granted  their  request,  and  were  soon  glad  that  we  had ; 
for  they  contributed  their  full  share  to  the  entertainment, 
and  we  found  their  dancing  and  singing  very  amusing. 

We  were  occasionally  asked  to  whistle,  while  they 
danced.  The  airs  in  our  repertoire  were  not  all  classi- 
cal, and  one  of  them  was  destined  to  be  put  to  a use 
which  we  little  anticipated  at  the  time.  On  the  evening 
of  our  departure  we  gave  a grand  ball,  the  memory  of 
which  is,  I doubt  not,  still  green  in  Siquijor;  and  sure 
it  is  that  we  left  many  friends  behind  us. 

Our  collecting  had  resulted  so  successfully,  and  we 
had  found  the  island  so  healthful,  that  we  decided  to 
revisit  it  three  years  later.  Some  changes  had  taken 
place  in  the  town.  Our  friend  of  the  mournful  coun- 
tenance had  departed  from  the  convento , and  his  suc- 
cessor was  a fat  and  jolly  friar  who  piped  for  his  people 
to  dance,  and  made  himself  generally  agreeable  to  them. 

At  the  tribunal  we  found  an  acquaintance  who  had 


SI  QU  I J O R 


291 


been  bandmaster  when  we  parted,  presiding  as  gobcr- 
nadorcillo.  He  was  delighted  to  see  us,  and,  although 
it  was  past  midnight  when  we  arrived,  sent  word  of 
our  coming  through  the  village,  and  the  population 
turned  out  en  masse  to  welcome  us. 

Before  we  retired  the  capitan  came  to  us  with  a 
very  mysterious  air,  and  remarked  that  he  had  a sur- 
prise in  store  for  us  in  the  morning.  We  were  not  to 
fail  to  be  on  hand  when  the  procession  of  cabezas  de 
Barangay  passed  by  on  its  way  to  mass. 

Accordingly,  we  turned  out  bright  and  early.  In  due 
time  the  procession  formed  and  started  for  the  conventb , 
to  escort  the  padre  to  church  ; but  for  the  life  of  us  we 
could  not  see  anything  extraordinary  about  it.  The 
shirts  of  the  cabezas  stood  out  from  their  waists  at  the 
usual  angle ; there  was  a fair  assortment  of  battered 
instruments,  and  a motley  crowd  to  play  them ; but 
nothing  out  of  the  ordinary,  and  we  began  to  fear  that  the 
gobevnadorcillo  was  too  subtle  for  us.  We  were  not  des- 
tined to  miss  the  surprise,  however.  Just  as  the  band 
came  opposite  the  balcony  on  which  we  were  standing, 
the  capitan  waved  his  cane  in  the  air,  and  the  musicians 
saluted  us  with  the  familiar  melody  to  which  the  words : 

“Johnny,  get  your  gun,  get  your  sword,  get  your  pistol, 
Nigger  on  the  house-top,  won’t  come  down,” 

are  usually  set.  The  sight  of  those  solemn  cabezas 
marching  to  church  to  that  tune  came  very  near  upset- 


292 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


ting  our  dignity,  and  a little  later,  when  the  same 
familiar  strains  floated  out  from  the  sacred  edifice 
itself,  we  simply  collapsed.  The  Philippinos  usually 
play  entirely  by  ear.  The  bandmaster  had  learned  the 
melody  from  us,  had  taught  it  to  his  musicians,  and 
added  it  to  the  Siquijor  repertoire  of  sacred  music. 

Our  first  call  on  the  padre  was  returned  the  next 
day,  again  on  the  day  after,  and  still  again  on  the  day 
after  that.  In  fact,  for  several  weeks  he  came  to  see 
us  every  afternoon  and  stayed  until  half-past  eight  or 
nine  at  night,  hindering  us  in  our  work  and  delaying 
our  supper.  The  poor  man  had  been  very  lonely 
before  our  arrival,  and  was  glad  enough  to  have  some 
one  with  whom  he  could  talk. 

At  first  we  enjoyed  his  visits,  for  he  told  us  much 
that  we  had  never  suspected  about  our  own  country 
and  people.  He  began  by  informing  us  that  George 
Washington  was  a leading  general  in  the  War  of  1812; 
that  he  had  fought  in  France,  and  had  several  times 
visited  Spain.  Our  learned  friend  was  greatly  sur- 
prised to  find  that  California  was  a part  of  the  United 
States;  but  to  show  us  that  he  was  well  posted  casually 
remarked  that  Washington  was  a city  of  20,000  inhabi- 
tants, and,  like  Philadelphia,  was  on  the  Mexican  boun- 
dary. 

We  had  a falling-out  with  him  on  the  question  of  the 
number  of  states  in  the  Union.  He  stoutly  insisted  that 
there  were  but  twenty-four,  and  refused  to  be  convinced 


SIOUIJOR 


293 


of  the  contrary,  telling  us  that  we  must  not  imagine 
we  could  impose  on  him,  if  he  did  live  in  an  out-of-the- 
way  place. 

After  giving  us  much  other  new  and  interesting 
geographical  and  historical  information  about  America, 
he  branched  off  on  to  physics,  and  stuck  to  that  science 
for  several  days,  hi  is  first  dissertation  was  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  hydraulic  ram,  and  I would  give  a good 
deal  for  a verbatim  report  of  it.  For  a long  time  we 
could  not  make  him  out  at  all,  but  when  we  were 
about  to  leave  the  island,  the  secret  of  his  truly  remark- 
able conversational  powers  was  proudly  revealed  to  us 
by  no  less  a personage  than  himself. 

Long  before  that  time,  however,  he  had  become  a 
terrible  bore.  We  should  probably  have  managed  to  get 
on  with  him  had  we  been  in  good  health,  but  Bourns 
was  suffering  from  a severe  fever,  contracted  in  the 
mountains  of  Negros,  and  it  irritated  me  beyond  meas- 
ure to  have  the  padre  keep  him  awake,  night  after  night. 
I decided,  therefore,  that  something  must  be  done. 

Fortune  favoured  me,  by  sending  in  a fine  lot  of 
civet-cats.  There  are  several  species  of  these  creatures 
in  the  Philippines,  and.  the  one  in  question  is  capable  of 
producing  an  odour  which  is  justly  more  celebrated  for 
its  strength  than  its  sweetness.  I had  barely  finished 
skinning  my  first  batch  of  specimens  when  in  came  the 
padre.  The  faint  trace  of  scent  remaining  was  mild- 
ness itself  compared  with  the  stench  I had  bred  a few 


294 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


minutes  before,  but  it  evidently  bothered  my  visitor, 
who  made  several  sarcastic  remarks  concerning  my  taste 
in  perfumery,  and  cut  his  call  unusually  short. 

The  next  day  I was  ready  for  him.  I had  made  a 
neat  little  dissection,  so  that  one  stroke  of  a scalpel 
would  lay  a scent-bag  wide  open.  A sentinel  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs  informed  me  of  the  padre  s arrival, 
and  I made  that  stroke  ! By  the  time  he  reached  our 
room  the  defunct  cat  was  “doing  itself  proud.”  He 
stopped  at  the  door,  as  if  some  one  had  thrown  water 
in  his  face,  but  pulled  himself  together,  and  came  in. 
I scored  one  for  the  padre , and  set  him  a chair  close 
to  the  cat,  innocently  continuing  my  operations.  He 
opened  his  mouth  to  begin  a discourse,  but  choked,  and 
thought  better  of  it.  After  a moment  or  two  spent 
in  meditation,  he  lit  a cigarette,  apparently  labouring 
under  the  delusion  that  he  could  compete  with  my 
animal,  which  by  this  time  had  so  far  surpassed  my 
fondest  expectations  that  I was  seriously  considering 
the  advisability  of  leaving  the  padre  to  have  it  out 
alone  with  the  cat.  On  second  thought,  however,  I 
decided  to  see  the  thing  through,  or  die  in  the  attempt. 
In  another  moment  my  visitor’s  eyes  suddenly  filled 
with  tears.  Dropping  his  cigarette,  he  covered  his 
mouth  and  nose  with  a handkerchief,  and  rushed  from 
the  room.  As  he  reached  the  clearer  air  of  the  next 
apartment  I heard  somewhat  indistinctly  an  exclamation 
which  sounded  uncommonly  like  jesusmariayjose ! 


SIQUI  JOR 


295 


After  that  I kept  a standing  order  out  for  civet-cats, 
and  the  poor  old  padre  never  got  nearer  to  making 
a call  than  to  inquire  from  the  street  if  I had  any  more 
of  those  “ gatos  malditos"  on  hand;  which  query  I was 
fortunately  always  ready  to  answer  in  the  affirmative. 

A few  weeks  later  we  moved  up  to  San  Antonio,  on 
the  highest  ground  in  the  island.  Having  occasion  to 
return  to  Siquijor  for  supplies,  I saw  a sad  sight  that 
I would  gladly  have  been  spared.  The  taxes  due  from 
that  poverty-stricken  town  amounted  to  some  $5000  per 
annum.  Cholera  had  recently  devastated  the  island ; 
the  crops  had  failed,  and  for  several  years  it  had  been 
utterly  impossible  for  the  cabezas  to  get  any  such 
sum  out  of  the  half-starved  inhabitants.  There  was 
a shortage  of  $7000  and  a commission  had  come 
down  from  Bohol  to  try  to  raise  the  money.  Failing 
in  this,  they  had  seized  the  cabezas , confiscated  their 
lands,  houses,  and  cattle,  and  were  about  to  deport 
them,  because  they  were  guilty  of  the  crime  of  not 
being  rich  enough  to  pay  other  people’s  debts ! Forty- 
four  men  were  torn  from  their  homes  and  dragged 
away  into  exile,  while  those  dependent  on  them  were 
left  to  shift  for  themselves  as  best  they  could. 

The  officer  in  charge  of  the  cabezas  informed  me 
that  they  would  “ have  the  privilege  ” of  working  out 
the  debts  of  their  constituents  at  the  munificent  salary 
of  six  cents  per  day,  from  which  the  expense  of  their 
food  and  clothing  would  be  deducted. 


296 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


At  San  Antonio  we  were  a thousand  feet  above  sea- 
level,  and  the  air  was  cool  and  almost  bracing.  Like 
most  of  the  limestone  islands  of  the  Philippines,  Siquijor 
is  quite  free  from  malaria,  and  with  an  abundance  of 
good  food,  we  soon  got  into  fine  physical  condition. 

When  off  on  a long  jaunt  I was  one  day  caught  in 
a heavy  shower,  and  sought  refuge  in  a deserted  house. 
I wanted  a fire  to  dry  my  clothes,  but  my  matches  were 
wet  and  would  not  burn.  One  of  my  men  quietly 
reached  up  over  the  old  fireplace,  and  drew  from  the 
thatch. two  oddly  shaped  pieces  of  bamboo.  In  less  than 
two  minutes,  to  my  astonishment,  he  had  made  a blaze. 

I had  always  believed  the  operation  of  making  fire 
by  rubbing  two  sticks  together  to  be  a long  and  diffi- 
cult process,  requiring  great  strength  and  skill.  In 
reality,  it  is  a very  simple  and  easy  matter,  if  one  has 
the  right  sort  of  sticks.  All  that  is  necessary  is  one 
joint  of  thoroughly  dried  bamboo,  say  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  in  diameter.  This  is  halved,  and  into  the 
concave  side  of  one  of  the  pieces  a V-shaped  groove 
is  cut,  extending  through  to  the  outside,  where  it  opens 
by  a long  narrow  slit.  This  half  of  the  joint  is  now 
placed  convex  side  up,  on  some  smooth,  hard  surface. 
From  the  other  half  is  fashioned  a piece  shaped  some- 
what like  a paper-knife,  and  one  of  its  edges  is  sharp- 
ened. This  the  fire-maker  grips  firmly  in  both  hands, 
places  it  edge  down  on  the  convex  surface  of  the  other 
half-joint,  and  at  right  angles  to  the  groove  in  it,  and 


SIQUI  JOR 


297 


begins  to  rub  slowly  and  steadily,  bearing  on  hard. 
The  sharp  edges  of  the  slit  scrape  wood-dust  from  the 
upper  piece,  which,  in  turn,  soon  wears  a groove  into 
them,  the  dust  falling  down  through  the  cleft.  In  from 
ten  to  fifteen  seconds  smoke  begins  to  show  faintly. 
In  twenty  or  thirty  more,  as  the  rubbing  grows  rapidly 
faster  and  faster,  it  rises  in  little  clouds.  The  operator 
suddenly  stops,  strikes  the  half-joint  a sharp  blow  or 
two,  to  dislodge  any  sparks  that  may  be  clinging  to 
its  under  surface,  and  then  snatches  it  up,  exposing  a 
little  conical  pile  of  charred  wood-dust,  at  the  apex  of 
which  glows  a bright  spark  of  living  fire.  Hastily 
pressing  a handful  of  shavings  down  on  this,  he  blows 
on  them  two  or  three  times,  and  they  burst  into  flame. 
The  trick  is  simple  enough,  when  one  once  learns  it.  I 
succeeded  in  getting  fire  on  my  second  attempt. 

One  can  readily  see  how  the  natives  may  first 
have  hit  on  this  device;  but  there  is  another  contrivance 
for  fire-making  in  the  Philippines,  the  origin  of  which 
is  not  so  easily  explained.  Among  one  of  the  wild 
tribes  of  north  Luzon  the  fire-syringe  is  in  common 
use.  It  is  fashioned  of  buffalo  horn,  in  the  form  of  a 
cylinder  with  closed  base  and  open  top,  into  which  an 
air-tight  piston  fits.  In  the  front  face  of  this  piston 
is  a hollow,  which  is  filled  with  dry  plant-hairs  of  a 
peculiar  sort.  The  operator  inserts  the  head  of  the 
piston  in  the  open  end  of  the  cylinder,  and  a sharp 
blow  drives  it  suddenly  home,  violently  compressing 


298 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS. 


the  air,  and  generating  heat  enough  to  set  the  plant- 
hairs  on  fire.  The  piston  is  instantly  withdrawn,  and 
the  spark  thus  obtained  is  utilized  to  start  a blaze.  To 
perform  this  operation  successfully  requires  long  prac- 
tice. I have  yet  to  see  a white  man  who  professes  to 
be  able  to  do  it ; and  how  the  savages  first  came  to 
think  of  getting  fire  in  such  a way  is,  to  me,  a mystery. 
Similar  contrivances  are  of  course  employed  in  other 
parts  of  the  world,  but  so  far  as  I am  aware,  nowhere 
else  in  the  Philippines. 

When  we  called  to  bid  adieu  to  our  friend  the  padre , 
he  remarked  that  we  might  possibly  have  noticed  his 
accurate  knowledge  of  numerous  subjects,  and  have  won- 
dered how  he  could  converse  so  intelligently  on  so  many 
different  themes.  We  owned  to  some  curiosity  in  the 
matter,  whereupon  he  explained  that  he  was  the  owner 
of  a fine  library,  and  if  he  thought  himself  likely  to 
meet  a civil  engineer,  for  instance,  read  up  on  engi- 
neering, that  he  might  not  appear  ignorant.  When 
two  American  naturalists  came  along,  he  had  at  once 
posted  himself  on  America  and  on  natural  history,  and 
thus  had  been  able  to  impart  to  us  much  useful  infor- 
mation about  our  native  country  and  our  profession. 

We  were  sorry  to  leave  Siquijor,  but  our  stay  there 
had  put  us  in  excellent  condition  for  the  trip  which  we 
were  about  to  undertake  into  the  interior  of  Mindoro. 
Before  describing  our  experiences  in  that  island,  how- 
ever, I must  record  the  adventures  which  befell  us  in 
several  other  places. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


CEBU 

From  Dumaguete  the  Steere  expedition  took  passage 
for  Cebu,  the  capital  of  the  island  bearing  the  same 
name.  For  many  years  this  city  ranked  next  to  Manila 
in  commercial  importance,  and  it  is  still  the  shipping 
centre  for  much  of  the  hemp  raised  in  the  Visayan 
islands;  was  the  centre,  I should  rather  say,  for  during 
the  recent  revolt  it  was  first  captured  by  the  insurgents, 
and  then  bombarded  and  well-nigh  destroyed  by  the 
Spaniards,  who  seem  to  have  shown  a most  ruthless  dis- 
regard for  the  lives  of  women  and  children. 

On  our  arrival  we  went  at  once  to  the  house  of  Mr. 
Cadell,  the  English  consul,  to  inquire  for  mail,  for  which 
we  had  been  waiting  three  months,  but  a bitter  disap- 
pointment was  in  store  for  us.  Through  a mistake  our 
letters  had  not  been  forwarded  from  Manila. 

When  we  asked  Mr.  Cadell  to  direct  us  to  the  best 
hotel  in  the  city,  he  informed  us,  to  our  astonishment, 
that  there  was  none  of  any  sort.  We  proposed  to  start 
out  house-hunting  immediately,  but  he  refused  to  enter- 
tain the  idea,  insisting  that  we  should  stay  with  him. 

299 


300 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Two  other  English  gentlemen  were  living  with  him, 
and  the  advent  of  our  party  of  five  caused  an  upheaval 
in  the  domestic  affairs  of  his  house;  but  his  only  anxiety 
seemed  to  be  lest  we  might  not  be  perfectly  comfortable. 
He  need  hardly  have  concerned  himself  on  this  score. 
After  the  many  months  of  rough  living  which  we  had 
just  experienced,  we  had  ceased  to  be  particular  about 
small  matters,  and  it  was  a great  satisfaction  to  sit  down 
to  a well-cooked  meal,  served  in  a civilized  manner,  and 
to  sleep  on  a bed  after  six  months  in  hammocks. 

As  the  site  of  the  first  Spanish  settlement  in  the  Phil- 
ippines, Cebu  is  a place  of  no  little  historic  interest. 
From  1565  to  1571  it  was  the  capital  of  the  colony. 
Up  to  1759  it  continued  to  have  a municipal  govern- 
ment, which  was  then  abolished  because  there  was  but 
one  Spaniard  in  the  place  capable  of  being  a city  coun- 
cillor, while  the  mayor  had  recently  been  turned  out  of 
office  for  attempting  to  extort  money  from  a Chinaman 
by  putting  his  head  in  the  stocks.  The  municipal 
government  was  not  restored  until  1890. 

The  city  of  Cebu  is  on  the  east  coast  of  the  island,  a 
trifle  north  of  its  centre.  Vessels  need  to  exercise  some 
care  in  entering  the  harbour,  but  the  channel  is  buoyed. 
The  population,  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  was  estimated 
at  10,000.  The  town  was  clean  and  well  built.  Strange 
to  say,  fairly  good  carriage  roads  led  out  from  it  for 
some  distance  in  several  directions. 

Churches  were  both  numerous  and  conspicuous. 


CEBU 


3or 


There  was  one  cathedral,  besides  the  chapel  of  the  Paul 
Fathers,  that  of  the  Jesuits,  and  the  church  of  San  Nico- 
las; but  more  famous  than  all  the  rest  was  the  church 
the  Santo  Nino  de  Cebu,  built  in  honour  of  the  most 
ancient  and  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  miraculous 
images  of  the  Philippines.  The  Santo  Nino  was  found 
on  the  shore  of  the  island  by  a soldier  in  1565,  and  was 
decided,  by  competent  authorities,  to  be  an  image  of 
the  Christ  Child,  which  had  fallen  from  heaven.  It 
was  accordingly  venerated  by  the  clergy,  and  has  been 
very  carefully  preserved. 

At  the  time  of  our  visit  it  was  guarded  in  a strong 
room  of  the  Augustinian  convento , but  could  be  seen  by 
permission  of  the  prior.  It  is  of  ebony,  measures  about 
fifteen  inches  in  height,  and  is  half  covered  with  silver 
trinkets  which  have  been  presented  to  it  from  time 
to  time.  On  January  20th  of  each  year,  a feast  is 
given  in  its  honour.  It  is  then  exposed  to  public  view 
in  the  church,  and  is  accorded  the  honours  of  a field- 
marshal.  Pilgrims  come  from  all  over  the  archipelago 
to  attend  this  feast,  in  the  belief  that  they  can  purify 
their  souls  at  the  shrine  of  “ The  Holy  Child  of  Cebu.” 
Great  excitement  prevails,  especially  among  the  native 
women,  who  at  one  time  were  allowed  to  dance  and  go 
through  various  semi-hysterical  performances  before  it. 
Later  these  demonstrations  were,  I believe,  forbidden. 

Near  the  church  of  the  Santo  Nino  is  a little  oratory, 
in  which  stands  an  old  bamboo  cross,  said  to  be  the 


302 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


very  one  erected  by  Fray  Martin  de  Rada,  on  the  day 
Legaspi  landed. 

Cebu  was  a Bishop’s  See,  as  well  as  the  residence  of 
a governor  and  of  a General  of  Brigade  commanding 
the  governors  of  all  the  Visayan  islands,  of  which  the 
most  important  are  Panay,  Guimaras,  Negros,  Cebu, 
Bohol,  Samar,  and  Leyte. 

We  soon  exhausted  the  sights  of  the  place,  and  were 
anxious  to  get  away,  not  only  because  it  seemed  unfair 
to  impose  too  long  upon  Mr.  Cadell’s  hospitality,  but 
on  account  of  the  lack  of  good  collecting  ground  near 
the  city.  It  was  first  necessary,  however,  to  get  the 
governor’s  permission  to  use  our  firearms.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  Governor-General  Terrero  had  prom- 
ised to  write  personal  letters  concerning  us  to  the  heads 
of  the  various  provinces  we  were  to  visit,  and  had  as- 
sured us  that  gun-licenses  would  be  unnecessary.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  he  had  written  to  Palawan,  Sulu,  Basilan, 
and  Mindanao,  but  when  we  reached  Panay  we  found 
that  the  governor  of  that  island  had  never  heard  of  us. 
Fortunately  we  had,  by  that  time,  accumulated  docu- 
ments which  sufficiently  attested  the  character  of  our 
work,  and  he  courteously  allowed  us  to  proceed  with  it. 
In  Negros  and  Siquijor  we  had  been  too  far  away  from 
officials  to  be  molested,  but  in  Cebu  there  was  trouble 
in  store  for  us. 

The  governor  had  received  no  instructions  in  re- 
gard to  us,  and  promptly  informed  Dr.  Steere  that, 


CEBU 


303 


while  he  should  be  glad  to  do  everything  in  his 

power  to  aid  us  (!),  he  had  just  received  orders  to  be 
especially  strict  in  the  enforcement  of  the  regulations 
concerning  gun-licenses.  He  hoped  that  we  carried 
no  firearms,  but  should  he  have  reason  to  think 
otherwise,  it  would  become  his  duty  to  order  search 
made,  and  if  any  were  found,  the  law  would  neces- 
sarily take  its  course. 

This  was  a delightful  state  of  affairs,  as  we  did 

carry  a small  arsenal,  and,  moreover,  wanted  to  use 
it.  Things  certainly  looked  squally.  Mr.  Cadell 

kindly  offered  to  accompany  Dr.  Steere  on  a visit 
to  the  Brigadier,  to  see  if  anything  could  be  done. 
Fortunately  that  official  was  a gentleman.  After 

hearing  the  whole  story,  he  at  once  issued  instructions 
to  the  obstreperous  governor,  compelling  him  to  write 
us  a permit  to  use  our  guns.  That  worthy  man  had 
doubtless  promised  himself  a good  time  badgering  us, 
and  it  was  a bitter  pill  for  him  to  swallow,  but  it 
had  to  go  down. 

This  difficulty  over,  Dr.  Steere  and  Mateo  went 
to  Bohol  for  corals,  while  Bourns  and  I set  off  north- 
ward, along  the  east  coast,  in  search  of  forest-land. 
Cebu  has  no  high  mountains,  but  the  surface  of  its 
interior  is  broken  by  steep  and  rugged  hills.  The 
island  has  been  almost  denuded  of  trees,  and  large 
areas  are  grown  up  to  cogon.  The  soil,  which  is 
often  shallow,  lies  over  limestone  rock.  There  is 


304 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


very  little  malaria,  and  the  island  is,  on  the  whole, 
exceptionally  healthful.  There  are  no  wild  tribes  in 
it.  Brigands  infest  some  districts,  but,  as  a rule,  the 
people  are  orderly,  and  they  are  noted  for  their  amia- 
bility and  hospitality. 

For  once  we  were  able  to  travel  in  a carriage,  if 
that  name  can  be  properly  applied  to  the  “ tartana  ” 
in  which  we  set  out.  This  vehicle  had  two  wheels, 
a top  to  keep  off  the  sun,  and  one  seat,  which  we 
shared  with  the  driver.  It  was  drawn  by  two  ponies; 
one  was  fastened  between  the  thills,  and  the  other 
attached  in  some  mysterious  manner  beside  the  first. 

We  drove  at  a furious  rate,  and  I felt  some  uneasi- 
ness lest  the  rude  rope  harnesses  should  break.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  they  did  break ; but  the  ponies  seemed 
quite  accustomed  to  having  the  thills  fly  into  the  air, 
or  the  body  of  the  vehicle  come  against  their  heels, 
and  stood  quietly  while  injuries  were  being  repaired. 

We  had  gone  but  a short  distance  from  town  when 
we  came  to  a ruined  bridge,  and  had  to  ford  a small 
stream  — an  experience  which  was  many  times  repeated 
within  the  next  twenty-five  miles.  Late  in  the  after- 
noon we  reached  Carmen,  and  as  we  could  see  trees 
about  the  tops  of  some  moderately  high  mountains 
back  of  the  town,  we  dismissed  our  tartana , and 
secured  quarters  for  the  night  in  a native  house. 

In  the  morning,  while  making  inquiries  as  to  a 
favourable  location  for  our  work,  we  learned  that  we 


CEBU 


305 


were  within  a few  miles  of  the  plantation  of  a Span- 
iard whom  we  had  met  in  Ilo  Ilo.  This  gentleman 
had  urged  us  very  strongly  to  visit  him,  assuring  us 
that  his  house  stood  in  the  midst  of  a forest,  and 
offering  us  luxurious  accommodations.  He  had  par- 
ticularly stated  that  he  wished  us  all  to  come,  and  re- 
main as  long  as  we  felt  inclined.  Finding  that  he  lived 
among  the  very  mountains  that  we  had  noticed,  we  set 
out,  in  perfect  good  faith,  for  his  plantation. 

As  the  path  was  rough,  we  went  on  foot,  with  four 
carriers  for  our  baggage,  which  we  had  reduced  to 
its  lowest  terms.  In  due  time  we  reached  our  des- 
tination, but  our  welcome  was  not  at  all  what  we 
had  expected.  The  first  question  our  Spanish  friend 
asked  was,  “ Are  you  going  away  to-morrow  or  the 
next  day?”  We  were  somewhat  taken  aback,  but 
decided  in  favour  of  “ manana  pasadod  Lest  there 
should  be  any  mistake  about  our  getting  off,  our  host 
took  it  upon  himself  to  order  our  carriers  to  return  at 
that  time. 

After  looking  around,  we  felt  that  we  had  no  cause 
to  regret  that  our  stay  was  to  be  short.  It  was  true 
that  there  was  a little  forest  close  by,  but  it  grew  on 
almost  perpendicular  hillsides,  which  bristled  with 
jagged  limestone  rocks,  and  when  hunting  we  were 
often  obliged  to  crawl  on  all  fours.  Even  so  we  had 
some  heavy  falls,  while  most  of  the  birds  that  we  shot 
struck  far  below  us,  where  we  could  not  get  at  them. 


306 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  only  thing  our  host  offered  us  in  the  way  of 
food  was  boiled  rice.  For  drink  he  gave  us  good  cold 
water,  keeping  his  vino  tinto  for  himself.  Nowhere 
else  in  the  archipelago  did  we  find  a white  man  liv- 
ing in  such  niggardly  style.  With  a yard  full  of  poultry, 
he  was  forever  lamenting  his  inability  to  get  us  meat, 
and  we  soon  lost  all  patience  with  his  explanations 
and  excuses. 

Our  carriers  did  not  return  quite  so  soon  as  they  had 
been  instructed  to,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day 
we  were  still  quartered  on  our  unwilling  host.  Upon 
our  return  from  a tiresome  tramp,  he  began  the  old 
story.  If  his  account  was  to  be  credited,  his  unfortu- 
nate cook  had  spent  the  entire  morning  in  a vain  at- 
tempt to  catch  a certain  plump  rooster,  which  he  had 
been  instructed  to  prepare  for  our  dinner.  A happy 
thought  struck  me,  and  raising  my  gun,  I shot  the  fowl 
dead,  in  order  to  save  the  cook  further  trouble  in  the 
matter.  Our  friend’s  face  fell  in  an  astonishing  manner, 
but  he  said  not  a word.  That  night  the  legs  of  the 
luckless  bird  appeared  on  the  table.  The  Spaniard 
ate  one,  and  gave  us  the  other.  At  noon  the  next  day, 
we  were  served  with  soup  made  from  the  wings.  Our 
carriers  then  appeared,  so  that  we  never  learned  how 
long  the  body  lasted. 

I am  bound  to  say  that  this  experience  was  most 
exceptional.  It  is,  of  course,  common  for  a Spaniard  to 
offer  favours  which  he  does  not  expect  to  be  accepted ; 


CEBU 


307 


but  there  is  ordinarily  little  difficulty  in  distinguishing 
between  the  conventional  placing  of  his  house  and 
belongings  at  one’s  disposal,  which  politeness  demands, 
and  a bona  fide  invitation  to  enjoy  his  hospitality. 
When  such  an  invitation  is  given,  and  accepted,  one 
is  almost  always  sure  of  the  best  entertainment  which 
the  means  of  his  host  will  allow. 

After  a short  stay  in  Carmen,  we  returned  to  Cebu. 
Dr.  Steere  was  still  absent,  and  while  we  were  await- 
ing his  return,  the  brother  of  the  consul  took  us 
on  a pleasant  trip  to  Mactan,  a small,  low  island  just 
opposite  the  city.  We  landed  and  visited  the  simple 
monument  which  marks  the  spot  where  Magellan  was 
stricken  down  by  an  arrow,  as  the  result  of  foolishly 
embroiling  himself  in  a quarrel  between  two  native 
chiefs.  Taking  to  our  boat  again,  we  completed  the 
circuit  of  the  island,  passing  many  of  the  numerous 
fish-pens  which  help  to  supply  the  markets  of  Cebu. 

These  “corals”  as  they  are  called,  are  ingeniously 
contrived  affairs.  Some  feeding-ground  which  fish  fre- 
quent is  located,  preferably  in  quite  shallow  water,  and 
around  it  posts  are  set,  to  which  is  attached  a portable 
bamboo  fence.  The  fence  is  made  by  tying  slender 
strips  together  with  rattan,  and  the  openings  between 
its  slats  are  too  narrow  to  allow  a fish  of  any  size  to 
pass.  Its  height  is  such  that  when  the  tide  is  full  the 
water  covers  it.  Fish  enter  over  the  top,  and  settle 
down  on  to  their  beds.  Before  they  are  aware  of  their 


3°8 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


danger,  the  ebb  of  the  tide  has  left  them  imprisoned. 
A narrow  lane  usually  leads  from  the  main  part  of  the 
pen  out  toward  deep  water,  and  they  follow  down  this, 
only  to  find  themselves  entrapped  in  a small,  circular 
enclosure  at  its  end.  Sharply  pointed  strips  of  bamboo, 
directed  inward,  make  it  easy  for  them  to  enter  this 
place  but  almost  impossible  for  them  to  get  out,  until 
the  owner  of  the  coral  helps  them  over  the  top  with  a 
spear  or  a dip-net. 

Tons  of  fish  are  sometimes  trapped  at  a single  tide, 
and  the  proprietor  of  a good  coral  usually  makes  a fair 
living  from  it. 

Fish,  either  fresh  or  dried,  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant articles  of  food  with  the  native,  and  almost 
every  coast-village  has  its  corals.  Should  there  be  no 
suitable  location  for  them,  however,  other  methods  of 
keeping  up  the  food-supply  are  resorted  to.  Hook  and 
line  are  seldom  used.  Seines  are  sometimes  employed. 
Spearing  at  night,  with  a bright  light,  is  frequently 
practised  where  shallow  water  and  sheltered  coves  make 
it  possible.  A casting-net  is  much  used  for  taking 
small  fry.  It  is  a circular  affair,  with  leaden  sinkers 
around  its  edge,  and  a strong  cord  attached  to  its  cen- 
tre. In  preparing  to  cast,  the  fisherman  raises  the  net 
by  this  cord,  the  sinkers  causing  it  to  hang  straight 
down  in  a mass  as  thick  as  a ship’s  cable.  He  gives 
it  a rotary  motion  before  throwing  it,  and  while  it  is 
yet  in  the  air  centrifugal  force  causes  the  sinkers  to  fly 


CEBU 


309 


outward,  spreading  the  net  to  its  fullest  extent,  so  that 
it  falls  flat  on  the  water,  settling  quickly  to  the  bottom, 
and  imprisoning  anything  that  happens  to  be  under  it. 
The  fisherman  sometimes  casts  from  a boat,  and  some- 
times wades  in  shallow  water.  Pebbles  or  bits  of  meat 
are  thrown  in  to  attract  the  fish. 

Our  first  collections  in  Cebu  were  very  unsatisfactory 
on  account  of  our  failure  to  find  good  ground.  On 
our  return  to  the  Philippines  we  never  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  inquiries  as  to  the  whereabouts  of 
forest-land  in  the  island,  but  were  always  assured  that 
none  existed. 

On  our  way  back  to  Manila,  after  our  second  visit 
to  Siquijor,  we  were  obliged  to  journey  from  Duma- 
guete  to  Ilo  Ilo  on  a little  steamer  which  went  poking 
into  numerous  out-of-the-way  places  after  sugar.  We 
were  much  annoyed  at  the  resulting  delay,  but  the  de- 
tour proved  advantageous  to  us  in  the  end ; for  in  the 
vicinity  of  Calatreva  and  Toledo,  on  the  west  coast  of 
Cebu,  we  found  just  what  we  had  been  seeking,  namely, 
forest  on  fairly  level  ground.  We  had  another  reason 
to  remember  our  stop  at  Calatreva.  Bourns  went 
ashore  there  and  met  an  English  gentleman,  Mr.  Pick- 
ford,  who  took  him  to  his  house  and  introduced  him 
to  his  wife.  That  good  lady  showed  a motherly  inter- 
est in  our  food  and  our  cooking  arrangements,  and  told 
Bourns  of  a scheme  for  making  bread  which  afterward 
saved  us  the  necessity  of  eating  much  boiled  rice.  Mrs. 


3io 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Pickford  probably  little  knows  how  often  we  blessed  her 
memory.  The  great  difficulty  with  us  had  always  been 
lack  of  yeast,  which  we  could  seldom  get  and  never 
keep.  We  now  learned  for  the  first  time  that  it  was 
only  necessary  to  mix  our  bread  with  sweet  tuba , instead 
of  water,  to  have  it  rise  beautifully.  As  tuba  could  be 
had  wherever  there  were  cocoanut  trees,  and  they  were 
to  be  found  near  all  the  villages  of  civilized  natives,  we 
seldom  lacked  for  bread  after  that.  Even  in  the  interior 
of  Mindoro  we  found  a substitute  for  tuba  in  the  juice 
of  the  sago  palm.  Our  oven  consisted  of  an  old  five- 
gallon  kerosene  tin,  one  end  of  which  we  cut  out  and 
hung  on  wire  hinges.  With  embers  above  and  below, 
we  managed  to  bake  very  well  in  this  rather  primitive 
contrivance. 

As  we  were  hurrying  to  Mindoro,  in  order  to  take 
advantage  of  the  dry  season  there,  we  could  not  stop  to 
collect  at  Calatreva  just  then.  When  we  returned,  a 
year  later,  we  were  greatly  disappointed  to  find  that 
the  forest  in  which  we  had  hoped  to  work  had  been 
cleared  away. 

Mr.  Pickford  hospitably  took  us  in,  and  furnished  us 
with  saddle-horses  while  we  searched  the  region  for 
timbered  land.  We  greatly  enjoyed  living  in  his  pleas- 
ant home,  and  the  good  English  dishes  which  his  wife 
prepared  were  a delight  to  us  after  two  years  of  Spanish 
cookery.  The  house  was  pleasantly  situated  at  the  top 
of  a conical  hill,  which  rose  sharply  above  the  level  of 


CEBU 


3" 


PHILIPPINE  SAWMILL.  HOUSE  WITH  “ CONCHA  ” WINDOWS,  IN  BACKGROUND 


312 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  surrounding  country,  and  commanded  a fine  view. 
We  could  not  help  wondering  what  had  caused  its 
genial  owner  to  build  in  such  an  out-of-the-way  place. 
For  many  years  he  had  been  the  head  of  the  Cebu 
branch  of  one  of  the  largest  commercial  houses  in  the 
islands;  but  he  suddenly  resigned  his  position,  to  the 
regret  of  his  employers,  and  put  all  his  money  into  land. 
Then,  to  the  surprise  of  every  one,  he  proceeded  to  settle 
on  his  new  possessions  and  start  a sugar  plantation. 

The  location  which  ne  selected  was  a remote  one,  the 
only  white  men  near  him  being  two  or  three  friars  and 
a Spanish  lieutenant  commanding  a small  squad  of 
native  soldiers. 

His  plantation  afforded  an  interesting  demonstration 
of  the  capabilities  of  the  Cebu  soil.  I have  never  seen 
finer  sugar-cane,  while  Indian  corn  grew  so  high  that 
when  on  horseback  I could  barely  touch  the  tops  of  the 
tallest  stems  with  my  riding-whip. 

Corn  grows  better  in  Cebu  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  Philippines  where  it  has  been  tried,  and  the  natives 
use  it  largely  for  food,  grinding  it  in  little  hand-mills. 
They  soon  learn  to  prefer  it  to  rice. 

Mr.  Pickford  had  other  than  agricultural  interests. 
There  were  outcroppings  of  good  lignite  on  his  estate, 
and  he  had  an  engineer  boring  for  petroleum  during  our 
sojourn  with  him.  Before  we  left,  oil  was  struck.  No 
suitable  appliances  for  checking  its  flow  were  at  hand, 
and  some  of  it  escaped  and  ran  down  a neighbouring 


CEBU 


313 


ravine.  An  incredulous  native,  who  did  not  believe 
it  to  be  petroleum  at  all,  experimented  with  a match, 
starting  a fire  which  was  extinguished  with  difficulty. 

We  were  sorry  to  leave  the  pleasant  house  on  the 
hill;  but  when  we  finally  succeeded  in  locating  a patch 
of  forest,  it  proved  to  be  so  far  away  that  we  decided  to 
rent  a little  native  house  on  its  outskirts.  Our  collect- 
ing now  went  on  most  satisfactorily,  but  without  any 
adventures  worth  relating.  We  took  some  interest,  how- 
ever, in  watching  the  course  of  events  in  a neighbour- 
ing house,  where  smallpox  ran  through  a family  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  died.  The  clothes  of  the 
dead  were  turned  over  to  the  living  without  beiim 
washed,  while  the  victims  bathed  in  a cold  stream  at 
the  very  crisis  of  the  disease,  so  that  the  final  outcome 
did  not  particularly  surprise  us. 

Smallpox  is  always  to  be  met  with  among  the  natives, 
and  one  soon  grows  accustomed  to  it.  The  disease 
seldom  attacks  Europeans ; but  on  arriving  at  the  town 
of  Cebu  for  the  second  time,  we  were  greatly  shocked 
to  learn  that  our  friend  the  brother  of  the  consul  had 
died  of  it,  while  Mr.  Pickford  enjoyed  the  distinction 
of  having  had  smallpox  and  cholera  at  the  same  time. 

During  our  stay  near  the  forest  the  teniente  primero 
of  Caltreva  loaned  us  his  cook,  and  the  meals  which  he 
prepared  for  us  were  astonishing.  To  him  the  jungle 
was  only  a vegetable  garden.  He  fed  us  on  banana 
blossoms,  mushrooms,  ferns,  rattan,  and  what  not.  The 


3H 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


dishes  he  concocted  with  his  odd  ingredients  were 
delicious,  and  we  were  anxious  to  keep  him  with  us,  but 
did  not  feel  that  we  ought  to  entice  him  away  from  his 
former  employer,  who  was  unwilling  to  let  him  go. 

When  the  time  for  our  departure  came,  we  found  our- 
selves in  trouble.  We  had  arranged  to  have  a small 
steamer  call  for  us,  as  it  was  impracticable  to  cross  to 
Cebu  overland.  The  vessel  failed  to  appear  at  the 
appointed  time,  however.  We  waited  for  her  some 
days  at  Toledo,  and  while  there  heard  from  the  teniente 
of  the  guardia  civil  a shocking  story  of  wrongs  prac- 
tised by  the  friar  of  the  place  on  his  long-suffering 
people.  This  padre  was  certainly  bad  enough,  but  it 
seemed  that  his  predecessor  had  been  worse.  The 
latter  was  in  the  habit  of  demanding  such  extortionate 
sums  for  burying  the  dead  that  poor  people  were  quite 
unable  to  raise  the  necessary  amount.  Not  content 
with  excluding  from  holy  ground  the  bodies  of  those 
who  could  not  afford  to  pay  for  burial,  he  caused  them 
to  be  exposed  on  the  trees  about  the  village  square, 
where  they  were  left  to  the  tender  mercies  of  carrion- 
eating birds  until  such  time  as  relatives  or  friends  com- 
pensated the  holy  father  in  advance  for  his  services. 

At  one  time  a famine  arose  on  the  west  coast  of 
Cebu,  and  the  natives  were  sickening  and  dying  for 
lack  of  food.  Mr.  Pickford  had  a large  granary  full 
of  rice,  which  he  dealt  out  to  the  hungry  people  who 
came  in  great  numbers  to  “borrow”  it.  A Visayan 


CEBU 


3i5 


native  will  seldom  voluntarily  ask  for  a gift,  but  has 
no  hesitation  in  begging  a “loan.”  The  stock  of  grain 
began  to  run  low,  so  in  the  goodness  of  his  heart 
Mr.  Pickford  ordered  a small  steamer  loaded  with  a 
new  supply  and  despatched  for  Toledo.  It  happened 
that  the  friar  had  rice  for  sale  at  famine  prices , and 
it  did  not  please  him  to  have  others  giving  it  away. 

When  the  little  steamer  arrived,  Mr.  Pickford  was 
away  from  home.  Coolies  had  just  begun  to  carry 
the  sacks  of  rice  ashore  through  the  surf  when  the 
padre  came  running  down,  swinging  a heavy  rawhide, 
with  which  he  proceeded  to  beat  them  unmercifully, 
meanwhile  threatening  them  with  all  the  pains  and 
penalties  which  the  Church  could  inflict  if  they  did 
not  desist.  The  frightened  natives  abandoned  their 
work.  A few  hours  later  a strong  wind  arose,  the 
prelude  to  a heavy  storm  lasting  for  many  days.  The 
steamer  was  obliged  to  leave  the  west  coast  and  run 
for  shelter;  and  the  final  result  was  that  the  cargo 
was  never  delivered,  the  friar  sold  his  rice  at  his  own 
figure,  and  many  of  his  parishioners  starved. 

I refrain  from  repeating  the  stories  told  us  con- 
cerning the  friar  who  was  in  charge  at  Toledo  when 
we  were  there,  as  they  came  from  one  of  his  personal 
enemies,  and  may  have  lost  nothing  in  the  telling; 
but  the  two  almost  incredible  instances  of  inhuman 
brutality  above  given  rest  on  evidence  that  does  not 
admit  of  doubt. 


3i6 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


At  last  we  grew  weary  of  waiting  for  a steamer, 
and  deciding  to  set  out  in  search  of  one,  hired  a 
native  sail-boat,  and  started  down  the  coast,  in  the 
teeth  of  the  southwest  monsoon.  At  the  town  of 
Dumanjoc  we  learned  that  a steamer  was  expected, 
but  whether  she  would  go  on  to  Ilo  Ilo  or  return  to 
Cebu  no  one  could  tell. 

By  a lucky  chance  she  took  the  latter  course,  though 
her  trip  was  anything  but  direct.  She  loaded  cargo 
for  a day  at  Bais,  and  for  another  day  at  Dumaguete, 
so  that  when  we  were  at  last  ready  to  sail  for  our 
destination  she  was  not  only  full  of  sugar,  but  the  bags 
were  piled  high  on  every  available  foot  of  her  decks. 
She  drew  two  feet  more  water  than  she  had  any  right 
to  draw,  and  was  so  top-heavy  that  a moderately  high 
sea  would  inevitably  have  caused  her  to  turn  turtle. 

I confess  that  I felt  uneasy,  for  after  leaving  Duma- 
guete there  was  no  port  in  which  we  could  seek  refuge 
until  we  reached  Cebu.  The  sea  was  perfectly  calm  — 
suspiciously  so,  in  fact ; and  it  had  an  unpleasant,  oily 
look  that  I did  not  like.  The  sky  was  black  and 
threatening,  but  we  decided  to  take  our  chances ; for 
if  we  waited  it  was  quite  possible  we  might  do  no 
better.  We  sailed  at  dusk.  The  nisfht  was  too  hot 
for  sleep,  and  at  one  o’clock  I went  on  deck,  to  see 
how  things  were  groins:.  It  struck  me  at  once  that 
the  ship  was  ambling  along  in  an  aimless  sort  of  way, 
and  I proceeded  to  investigate.  The  piloto  primero 


CEBU 


3i7 


(first  mate)  was  sitting  on  the  bridge  with  his  feet  up, 
fast  asleep.  It  was  his  watch  ! The  man  who  should 
have  been  at  the  wheel  was  lying  on  a neighbouring 
table,  smoking  a cigarette,  and  the  steamer  was  going 
where  she  pleased.  As  we  did  not  seem  likely  to 
run  into  anything  at  once,  I sat  down  to  watch  the 
course  of  events.  The  helmsman  finished  his  cigarette, 
lit  another  and  smoked  it  out,  walked  leisurely  to  the 
rail  and  threw  the  stub  overboard,  yawned  comfortably, 
and  went  back  to  his  post,  swinging  the  vessel  through 
an  arc  of  ninety  degrees  to  bring  her  on  her  course. 
The  first  officer  slept  peacefully  for  forty-five  minutes 
by  my  watch,  and  then  awoke  with  a start.  I asked 
him  if  he  had  enjoyed  his  nap,  and  got  roundly  cursed 
for  my  pains.  He  vowed  he  had  not  been  asleep ! 

A few  weeks  before,  when  I had  seen  the  wreck 
of  the  Batangas , a vessel  which  struck  the  shore  of 
Luzon,  bow  on,  one  beautiful  moonlight  evening,  I had 
wondered  how  such  a thing  could  have  happened. 
After  that  night’s  experience  I wondered  no  longer. 

Fortunately  for  us,  the  storm  which  was  brewing 
did  not  break  until  we  were  safe  in  port.  Mr.  Cadell 
took  us  in  a second  time,  and  again  we  were  indebted 
to  him  for  kindness  that  seemed  to  be  limited  only 
by  his  inability  to  devise  more  ways  in  which  he  could 
be  of  help  to  us.  We  waited  at  Cebu  only  long  enough 
to  get  a steamer  for  Samar,  and  sailed  for  the  capital 
of  that  island. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


SAMAR 

Twice  it  happened  that  Bourns  and  I sailed  from 
Cebu  for  Catbalogan,  the  capital  of  Samar.  On  the 
first  of  these  occasions  we  were  in  company  with  the 
other  members  of  the  Steere  expedition.  There  were 
also  a number  of  Spanish  passengers  on  board,  among 
whom  was  the  newly  appointed  governor  of  the  prov- 
ince we  were  about  to  visit.  One  or  two  remarks 
casually  dropped  by  this  gentleman,  and  not  intended 
for  our  ears,  caused  us  suddenly  to  forget  our  Spanish 
for  the  remainder  of  the  trip,  and  after  he  had  con- 
vinced himself  that  we  really  did  not  understand  the 
language,  he  was  considerate  enough  to  disclose  his 
plans  concerning  us  at  the  dinner  table,  before  our 
very  faces. 

It  seemed  that  he  was  a friend  of  the  governor  of 
Cebu,  who  had  been  ordered  by  the  Brigadier  of  the 
Visayas  to  give  us  a permit  to  use  firearms,  and  he  now 
proposed  to  avenge  the  indignity  that  had  been  put 
upon  his  brother  official.  He  mentioned  the  fact  that 
an  order  concerning  us  had  been  sent  to  Samar,  but 
said  that  it  applied  to  his  predecessor,  not  to  him. 

318 


SAMAR 


3i9 


If  we  asked  for  permission  to  use  our  guns,  he  said 
he  should  refuse  to  grant  it.  If  we  went  out  without 
his  consent,  he  should  have  us  arrested,  and  if  we  did 
not  attempt  to  go  at  all,  our  house  was  to  be  searched 
for  the  arms  which  he  knew  we  carried.  In  any  event, 
the  carccl  was  to  be  our  final  destination,  and  when 
he  had  once  landed  us  in  jail  he  meant  to  keep  us 
there  awhile. 

There  was  one  obstacle  to  the  carrying  out  of  this 
delightful  programme,  of  which  the  governor  was  igno- 
rant. After  our  little  difficulty  with  his  friend  at  Cebu, 
we  had  applied  at  once  to  the  Governor-General  for 
gun-licenses  of  the  first  class.  They  had  reached  the 
city  after  we  were  on  board  our  vessel,  and  had  been 
sent  off  to  us  just  as  she  was  getting  up  her  anchor. 
Provided  with  these  documents,  we  could  laugh  at  any 
one  who  attempted  to  interfere  with  us ; so  we  decided 
to  let  the  governor  have  his  head  and  see  what  he 
would  do. 

We  reached  our  destination  on  a Sunday  morning, 
and  at  once  hired  a house  and  moved  in.  That  day 
was  spent  in  settling  our  new  domicile,  but  bright 
and  early  Monday,  Bourns,  Moseley,  Mateo,  and  I 
loaded  ourselves  down  with  ammunition,  and  set  out. 
It  is  forbidden  to  shoot  within  two  hundred  metres 
of  a town  boundary  in  the  Philippines;  but  as  soon 
as  we  were  on  the  safe  side  of  this  imaginary  line, 
we  opened  a regular  fusillade,  at  the  same  time  starting 


320 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


off  in  different  directions.  The  rainy  season  was  on, 
and  the  damp  air  made  the  reports  of  our  guns  sound 
very  heavy;  while  the  hills  which  form  an  amphithea- 
tre about  Catbalogan  hurled  rolling  echoes  back  at 
the  astonished  town. 

This  was  just  what  the  governor  had  hoped  for. 
There  were  instant  signs  of  commotion  at  the  head- 
quarters of  the  guardia  civil , and  within  ten  minutes 
the  troops  were  after  us.  We  had  no  idea  of  being 
taken,  however.  Our  muscles  were  hardened  by  eight 
months  of  daily  tramping,  while  the  soldiers  had  done 
little  in  that  time  but  lie  around  town  and  drink  more 
than  was  good  for  them.  I chose  a path  that  zig- 
zagged up  a steep  hill  through  tall  cogon,  and  readily 
managed  to  keep  one  turn  of  it  between  myself  and 
my  pursuers,  occasionally  shooting  an  imaginary  bird 
in  the  grass  that  separated  us  in  order  to  stir  up 
their  interest.  After  getting  all  the  exercise  they 
felt  in  need  of,  the  squad  which  had  undertaken  to 
run  me  down  gave  it  up  for  a bad  job  and  turned 
back. 

Moseley  quietly  slipped  into  the  brush,  let  the  men 
who  were  following  him  go  by,  and  calmly  strolled 
back  to  town,  leaving  them  to  amuse  themselves  as 
they  saw  fit.  Mateo  had  any  amount  of  fun  at  the 
expense  of  his  pursuers,  and  the  pranks  he  played 
on  them  kept  us  laughing  for  a week;  but  Bourns 
was  less  fortunate.  Like  myself,  he  had  taken  to  the 


321 


SAMAR 

hills,  and  was  dodging  one  squad  when  he  ran  right 
into  another.  He  was  promptly  arrested  and  taken 
back  to  town. 

Meanwhile  the  Doctor  had  arrayed  himself  in  his 
Sunday  best,  and  after  waiting  for  the  troops  to  get 
wTell  out  of  the  way,  had  gone  to  call  on  the  governor. 
No  attention  was  paid  to  his  “ con  permiso ” as  he 
entered  that  worthy’s  office,  and  its  occupant  was  so 
very  busy  writing  as  to  be  quite  unable  to  see  him.  The 
Doctor  shoved  a pile  of  passports  under  his  nose, 
only  to  have  them  contemptuously  pushed  aside.  He 
then  gently  slid  a gun-license  within  eye-shot  of  the 
very  much  preoccupied  official.  This  produced  instant 
effect.  The  governor  glanced  at  it,  then  put  on  his 
glasses  and  looked  at  it  again,  noting  its  recent  date. 
Suddenly  his  eye  fell  on  the  magic  letters  g-r-a-t-i-s  in 
the  place  where  the  cost  should  have  been  inserted. 

Now  the  usual  charge  for  a license  of  the  first  class 
is  sixty  dollars,  and  he  at  once  perceived  that  he  had 
made  a slight  mistake.  People  to  whom  the  Governor- 
General  presented  documents  of  that  sort  were  evi- 
dently unsafe  playthings  for  a man  of  his  rank. 
Springing  to  his  feet,  he  grasped  the  Doctor  cordially 
by  the  hand,  and  expressed  his  heartfelt  pleasure  at 
having  the  opportunity  to  do  so.  He  had  heard  that 
we  were  to  visit  his  province,  but  had  not  recognized 
the  gentlemen  who  came  up  on  the  steamer  with  him 
as  members  of  the  Steere  expedition.  It  would  de- 


322 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


light  him  to  serve  us  in  any  possible  way.  Would 
we  not  honour  his  poor  house  by  living  in  it  ? But 
the  Doctor  was  not  feeling  amiable.  He  cut  his  busi- 
ness very  short,  and  shook  the  dust  of  the  place  from 
his  feet  as  he  took  his  departure. 

He  was  hardly  outside  of  the  door  when  the 
guardias  who  had  captured  Bourns  entered  town  with 
their  prisoner.  As  they  approached  the  “ gobierno” 
the  governor  himself  came  running  down  the  steps, 
inquiring  in  terms  more  forcible  than  polite  what 
they  were  doing  with  the  “ sehor  americanod  He 
would  accept  no  excuses  from  the  soldiers,  but  dis- 
missed them  in  disgrace,  with  dire  threats  of  punish- 
ment. To  Bourns  he  apologized  profusely,  patting  him 
affectionately  on  the  back,  and  explaining  that  it 
was  all  a mistake  due  to  the  stupidity  of  the 
men,  who  had  been  sent  out  on  an  entirely  different 
errand  ! 

The  sequel  to  this  little  affair  came  three  years 
later,  at  Dumaguete.  I have  already  remarked  that 
upon  our  arrival  there  we  recognized  an  old  acquaint- 
ance in  the  governor.  The  first  time  I looked  at  him 
I knew  I had  seen  him  before,  and  the  second  time 
I remembered  where.  He  was  our  Samar  friend.  I 
glanced  at  Bourns,  and  the  twinkle  in  his  eye  told 
me  that  he,  too,  had  sized  up  the  situation.  When 
His  Excellency  began  the  usual  formula,  placing  his 
house  and  all  that  it  contained  at  our  disposal,  telling 


SAMAR 


323 


us  his  hours  for  meals  and  offering  to  have  them 
changed  if  they  did  not  suit  us,  and  of  course  insist- 
ing that  we  should  move  in  at  once,  Bourns  tipped 
me  a solemn  wink,  and  told  the  governor  that  if  he 
would  change  his  dinner  hour  he  thought  we  might  get 
on!  And  so  we  accepted  his  hospitality.  He  doubt- 
less appreciated  the  situation,  as  we  certainly  did,  but 
not  a word  was  said  on  either  side. 

But  to  return  to  Samar : Catbalogan  is  a small,  clean 
town  lying  on  the  north  shore  of  a fine  bay  on  the 
west  coast.  Its  main  business  is  the  buying,  curing 
and  baling  of  abaca.  There  are  several  fairly  good 
shops  in  the  place,  but  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  food 
there,  as  fruit,  poultry,  and  eggs  are  scarce  and  dear. 
Fish  is  very  abundant,  however,  and  we  were  able  to 
buy  milk  every  day — a rare  luxury  in  the  Philippines. 

There  is  a fine  beach  in  front  of  the  town,  and 
when  the  southwest  monsoon  is  blowing  the  surf  bath- 
ing is  delightful.  The  forest  was  some  distance  away, 
but  as  the  trip  could  be  made  by  ascending  a small 
river  in  bancas , we  did  not  mind  it. 

We  were  indebted  to  snakes  for  the  only  interrup- 
tions in  the  monotony  of  our  daily  life,  after  our  en- 
counter with  the  governor.  A wealthy  mestizo  had  a 
fifteen-foot  python  caged  in  his  back  yard.  Hearing 
that  he  fed  his  formidable  pet  a dog  once  a month, 
we  asked  to  be  informed  when  the  next  meal  was  due. 
Notice  was  duly  sent  us,  and  on  the  appointed  day 


324 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


we  repaired  to  the  yard  in  which  stood  the  cage  of 
the  great  reptile.  He  had  just  shed  his  skin,  and 

was  resplendent  with  iridescent  colours.  He  seemed 
very  hungry,  and  when  the  dog  was  brought  grew 
impatient,  following  around  the  cage  after  it. 

A trap  door  was  opened,  and  the  poor  cur  thrown 
in.  The  great  snake  struck  it  before  it  reached  the 
bottom  of  the  cage,  and  sinking  his  sharp  recurved 
teeth  deep  in  the  flesh  of  his  victim,  threw  a single 
coil  around  it,  crushing  out  its  life  in  an  instant. 
The  poor  brute  gave  one  sharp  cry,  but  had  no  time 
for  a second.  The  serpent  took  no  chances,  but 
coiled  himself  in  a solid  mass  about  his  prey,  crushing 
it  for  a full  half-hour.  Then,  slowly  loosening  and 
tightening  one  coil  after  another,  he  carefully  exam- 
ined the  dead  dog.  Having  satisfied  himself  that  life 
was  really  extinct,  he  uncoiled,  and  tried  to  alarm  us 
by  hissing  viciously  and  striking  at  the  sides  of  the 
cage.  Finding  that  we  were  not  to  be  driven  away, 
he  gave  up  the  attempt,  and  proceeded  to  swallow  the 
dog.  The  feat  at  first  looked  like  an  impossibility, 
but  when  it  had  been  performed  I should  have  dis- 
liked to  express  an  opinion  as  to  how  large  an  animal 
he  could  have  swallowed. 

Our  other  experiences  with  snakes  were  of  a differ- 
ent sort.  Within  a week  Dr.  Steere  twice  nar- 
rowly escaped  being  bitten  by  cobras.  He  was  one 
day  climbing  a steep  hillside  when  he  found  his  way 


SAMAR 


325 


blocked  by  a fallen  tree.  Reaching  for  a branch  over 
his  head,  he  began  to  draw  himself  up ; but  just  then 
noticing  a more  favourable  place  a little  further  along, 
he  moved  on  and  clambered  up  there.  Happening  to 
glance  at  the  spot  where  he  had  made  his  first  at- 
tempt, he  saw  a sight  that  made  his  blood  run  cold ; 
for  at  the  point  where  the  branch  he  had  seized  joined 
the  stem  lay  a sleeping  cobra.  Had  he  carried  out 
his  original  intention,  it  would  have  cost  him  his  life. 

A few  days  later  he  was  coming  down  a steep 
mountain  path,  and  at  a somewhat  precipitous  point, 
while  working  around  a projecting  corner  of  rock,  he 
heard  a snake  hiss.  Uncertain  whether  it  was  before 
or  behind  him,  he  went  on,  stopping  the  instant  he 
had  rounded  the  turn,  and  none  too  soon ; for  within 
two  feet  of  him  was  a large  cobra,  coiled  to  strike, 
with  head  up  and  hood  expanded.  Paralyzed  with 
fear,  he  stood  perfectly  still.  After  a few  seconds, 
which  doubtless  seemed  like  hours  to  him,  the  venom- 
ous creature  swung  to  one  side,  disappearing  into  a 
hole  among  the  rocks  before  the  Doctor  recovered 
from  his  fright  sufficiently  to  shoot  it.  Two  such 
experiences  within  a short  time  alarmed  us,  and  there- 
after each  of  us  carried  a keen  knife,  a bottle  of  loose 
gunpowder,  and  some  matches.  The  only  thing  that 
can  be  done  for  cobra  bite  seems  to  be  to  sret  the 

O 

poison  out  before  it  enters  the  circulation,  and  we  were 
prepared  for  heroic  measures. 


326 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


A few  days  later  I was  hunting  on  a path  at  the 
foot  of  the  hills,  when  I saw  a beautiful  fairy-bluebird, 
which  I was  most  anxious  to  kill.  Cocking  both  bar- 
rels of  my  gun,  I crept  along  slowly,  paying  no  heed 
to  what  was  under  foot.  Just  as  I was  almost  near 
enough  to  fire,  I stepped  squarely  on  a large  snake, 
which  instantly  coiled  around  my  leg,  giving  me  a 
tremendous  start.  I believe  that  the  jump  I made 
would  compare  favourably  with  the  amateur  record, 
and  certain  it  is  that  I tightened  my  grip  on  my  gun 
so  suddenly  as  to  discharge  both  barrels.  Fortunately 
for  me,  the  reptile  on  which  I had  set  foot  was  a 
harmless,  striped  creature,  but  the  occurrence  served  to 
show  what  might  happen. 

Poisonous  snakes  occur  throughout  the  Philippines, 
but  do  not  cause  very  serious  loss  of  life  except  in 
Lubang,  a small  island  north  of  Mindoro. 

La  semana  santa , or  Holy  Week,  was  celebrated 
during  our  stay  at  Catbalogan,  Business  was  entirely 
suspended,  and  on  Thursday  and  Friday  horses  were 
not  allowed  on  the  streets.  The  church  bells  were 
muffled,  and  the  signals  for  prayers  were  sounded  on 
loud  rattles.  Women  could  be  heard  singing  a weird 
passion-song  throughout  the  entire  night.  On  Friday 
evening  there  was  a grand  procession,  headed  by  the 
town  friars,  the  governor,  and  the  military.  Its  most 
striking  feature  was  a series  of  illuminated  floats,  bear- 
ing life-sized  images  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  Christ,  and 


SAMAR 


327 


various  saints  and  martyrs.  There  were  also  groups 
of  images  illustrating  the  crucifixion,  the  descent  from 
the  cross,  and  other  subjects  appropriate  to  the  season. 
The  floats  were  pushed  along  by  men  walking  under- 
neath them,  who  were  supposed  to  be  concealed  by 
short  curtains.  As  a matter  of  fact,  their  bare  legs 
and  feet  came  into  view  from  time  to  time,  producing 
a decidedly  picturesque  effect.  Some  of  the  images 
were  gotten  up  so  remarkably  as  to  be  suggestive  of 
other  than  solemn  thoughts,  and  when  St.  Peter  passed 
by,  dangling  a bunch  of  huge  keys  from  a limp  hand, 
with  a live  game-cock  strutting  at  his  feet , we  had  some 
difficulty  in  controlling  our  feelings. 

The  crowd  bared  their  heads  and  crossed  them- 
selves as  each  float  went  by.  Next  came  a long  pro- 
cession of  men  and  women,  dressed  in  black  and 
carrying  lighted  tapers.  The  Chinamen  of  the  place 
occupied  prominent  positions  at  the  head  of  the  col- 
umn, wearing  the  blackest  of  coats  and  holding  the 
longest  of  tapers. 

A very  considerable  number  of  the  Chinese  in  the 
smaller  Philippine  towns  nominally  embrace  Christian- 
ity, as  it  helps  business.  Investigation  of  the  rooms 
in  the  rear  of  their  shops  will,  however,  usually  serve 
to  convince  one  that  they  take  no  chances  on  the 
future,  but  continue  to  propitiate  their  old  deities  as 
before. 

Our  work  in  Samar  ended  without  further  incident, 


328  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

and  it  was  not  until  four  years  later  that  Bourns  and 
I as;ain  visited  the  island.  We  found  Catbalosran  much 
changed.  A destructive  fire  had  wiped  out  the  greater 
part  of  the  place,  and  few  of  the  burned  houses  had 
been  rebuilt,  so  that  we  had  some  difficulty  in  getting 
a roof  over  our  heads.  The  forest  had  been  cleared 
away  until  it  could  no  longer  be  readily  reached  from 
town,  and  we  accordingly  bought  a lot  of  nip  a thatch, 
and  hired  men  to  build  us  a hut  within  a stone’s- 
throw  of  good  hunting-ground.  Here  we  lived  during 
the  greater  part  of  our  stay,  sending  a runner  to  market 
every  day  for  such  supplies*  as  were  needed. 

Thus  far  I have  said  little  of  our  daily  work. 
I fancy  that  there  were  few  white  men  in  the  islands 
who  would  have  cared  to  follow  us  for  a week.  We 
were  up  each  day  before  sunrise,  in  order  to  make 
the  most  of  the  cool  morning  hours,  and  after  a hasty 
breakfast  plunged  into  the  dripping  jungle,  where  we 
or0t  wet  to  the  skin  in  ten  minutes. 

O 

The  costume  which  we  finally  adopted  was  an  evolu- 
tion — the  result  of  much  experience.  Our  pantaloons 
were  of  heavy  brown  duck,  held  at  the  waist  by  a 
“ puckering-string,”  and  so  loose  and  baggy  as  hardly 
to  touch  us  at  any  other  point  except  the  ankles,  where 
flaps  and  cords  made  it  possible  to  tie  up  the  bottoms 
of  the  legs  tightly.  This  was  a very  necessary  pre- 
caution; for  in  many  localities  the  forests  swarm  with 
pestiferous  land-leeches,  and  it  is  desirable  to  prevent 


SAMAR 


329 


them,  as  far  as  possible,  from  crawling  up  inside  of 
one’s  trousers  and  promenading  over  one’s  body. 

On  our  feet  we  wore  cotton  stockings  and  alpargatas 
(low  Chinese  shoes),  with  abaca  soles  and  cloth  uppers, 
fastened  at  the  ankle  with  strings.  Leather  shoes  are 
absolutely  unendurable  in  the  wet  jungles,  where  one’s 
feet  are  usually  soaked,  even  in  the  dry  season.  In 
any  event  one  is  constantly  obliged  to  wade  small 
streams.  The  cloth  shoes  dry  quickly,  but  leather 
will  not  long  resist  so  much  wet,  and  before  cracking 
to  pieces  it  grows  stiff  and  hard,  injuring  one’s  feet 
It  behooves  one  who  is  tramping  every  day  to  take 
good  care  of  those  useful  members;  for  a slight  hurt 
like  a blister  is  likely  to  result  in  a troublesome  ulcer, 
and  cause  lameness. 

For  the  rest,  our  costume  consisted  of  a thin  under- 
shirt, and  a duck  coat  with  numerous  pockets  for  car- 
tridges of  different  kinds.  In  the  fearful  tangles  where 
we  were  often  compelled  to  work,  it  was  seldom  pos- 
sible to  creep  up  on  a bird,  or  back  away  from  it, 
after  it  was  once  seen ; so  that  we  were  usually  obliged 
to  adapt  the  charge  used  to  the  size  of  the  game, 
and  its  distance. 

On  one  point  Bourns  and  I were  never  agreed.  He 
wore  thick  sleeves  to  protect  his  arms  from  the  thousand 
and  one  thorn-bearing  pests  in  which  the  Philippine 
forests  abound.  I preferred  to  wear  a sleeveless  coat, 
keep  my  arms  cool,  and  let  the  thorns  tear. 


330 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  one  problem  which  we  never  satisfactorily  solved 
was  that  of  suitable  head-gear.  A man  who  is  new  to 
the  country  must  wear  a sun-hat,  or  run  very  serious 
risk  of  sunstroke  if  he  has  to  cross  open  country.  On 
the  other  hand,  when  it  comes  to  quick  work  with  a 
shotgun,  he  might  about  as  well  have  his  head  in  an 
inverted  wash-tub;  while  the  big  helmet  is  an  unmiti- 
gated nuisance  in  forcing  one’s  way  through  dense 
undergrowth,  and  seems  to  have  an  especial  attraction 
for  the  “ pull-back  ” thorns,  which  are  forever  snatching 
it  from  one’s  head. 

As  we  grew  hardened  to  the  climate,  we  adopted 
small  straw  hats.  These  in  time  gave  way  to  felt  hats, 
or  soft  caps ; and  I must  confess  that,  toward  the  close 
of  our  stay,  even  they  were  thrown  down  when  we 
reached  the  edge  of  timber,  and  we  hunted  bareheaded 
like  the  natives. 

A heavy  machete  is  a necessity;  for  one  is  often  com- 
pelled to  cut  one’s  way,  foot  by  foot,  through  the  dense 
vegetation.  Large  fish-creels  slung  on  our  backs  served 
to  carry  our  birds.  Each  specimen  was  carefully  wrapped 
in  paper  as  soon  as  killed,  and  was  packed  away  at  once. 

Such  paths  as  exist  in  the  Philippine  jungles  and 
forests  are  worn  smooth  by  the  passage  of  many  bare 
feet,  and  are  very  slippery  after  rains,  especially  if,  as 
is  often  the  case,  they  run  along  tree-trunks  or  over 
smooth  rocks.  In  spite  of  all  precautions,  some  heavy 
falls  are  inevitable. 


SAMAR 


33i 


When  working  off  the  paths  it  is  frequently  necessary 
to  crawl  flat  on  the  ground,  and  then  it  is  well  to  keep 
one’s  eyes  open,  as  huge  scorpions  and  centipedes 
abound.  The  sting  of  the  one  or  the  bite  of  the  other 
is  a serious  matter,  producing  very  severe  pain,  with 
considerable  fever.  One  is  not  likely  to  be  disturbed  by 
these  creatures,  however,  if  he  does  not  go  poking  about 
dead  trees  and  rotting  logs. 

Ants  are  the  most  common  source  of  annoyance. 
There  are  millions  of  them,  belonging  to  many  different 
species,  some  of  which  are  quite  harmless,  while  others 
bite  viciously,  and  a few  sting  as  well.  One  often  sees 
what  looks  like  a thick  black  rope  dragging  along 
through  the  jungle.  Closer  inspection  shows  that  it  is 
a column  of  ants  out  on  a hunting  expedition.  It  is 
made  up  of  individuals  of  several  different  forms,  each 
of  which  has  a special  duty  to  perform.  Scouts  run 
ahead  and  skirmish  on  the  flanks.  Big  fellows,  with 
huge,  caliperdike  jaws,  are  constantly  looking  for  some- 
thing to  bite,  while  officers  skirt  the  sides,  turn  back 
stragglers,  and  give  such  commands  as  are  necessary. 

An  orderly,  well-disciplined  army  is  going  forth  to 
battle,  and  woe  betide  the  animal,  or  for  that  matter  the 
man,  attacked  by  these  myriads  of  biting  creatures.  If 
one  inadvertently  sets  hand  or  foot  on  such  a column, 

1 he  will  not  soon  forget  it.  There  is  no  need  of  doing 
so,  however,  if  one  keeps  his  eyes  open ; but  there  is 
a large  and  particularly  vicious  brown  species  of  ant 


332 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


which  cannot  well  be  escaped,  as  it  nests  among  dead 
leaves,  and  its  abodes  give  no  outward  sign  of  their 
presence.  It  both  bites  and  stings.  The  bite  is  sharp 
enough  to  draw  blood,  while  the  sting  causes  rapid 
swelling  and  severe  pain.  The  individuals  of  this 
species,  too,  seem  to  work  in  concert.  If  one  disturbs  a 
nest,  he  is  seldom  molested  until  a dozen  of  the  creat- 
ures have  secured  good  positions,  when  they  all  begin 
to  bite  and  sting  at  once.  If  they  can  find  no  enemy 
to  attack  after  being  aroused,  they  become  furious, 
and  snap  their  jaws  together,  making  a sharp  clicking 
noise  which  can  be  heard  distinctly  at  a distance  of 
ten  feet. 

Finally,  there  is  a thick,  heavy  species  which  builds 
mud  nests  in  the  bushes.  It  is  nearly  an  inch  in  length, 
with  black  head  and  brown  body,  but  its  jawrs  are  its 
most  prominent  feature,  and  it  has  a grip  like  a bull- 
terrier,  often  retaining  its  hold  after  its  body  has  been 
torn  from  its  head. 

Perhaps  the  most  troublesome  of  all  the  forest-pests  is 
the  tungau , a tiny,  almost  microscopic  red  tick,  which 
rapidly  burrows  into  one’s  flesh,  producing  an  intolera- 
ble itching.  If  not  at  once  dislodged,  it  proceeds  to 
breed  under  the  skin,  causing  a most  annoying  disease. 

We  were  never  able  to  solve  the  rule  governing 
the  distribution  of  tungau.  In  some  localities  they 
swarmed;  in  others  they  were  entirely  lacking.  We 
found  them  on  wet  and  dry  ground,  on  the  hill-tops  and 


SAMAR 


333 


the  lowlands.  One  does  not  remain  long  in  doubt  as  to 
their  presence  in  any  locality  where  they  occur;  and  in 
such  a place  there  is  but  one  way  to  avoid  serious 
trouble,  namely,  to  strip  at  least  once  a day,  and  set  a 
keen-eyed  native  to  digging  them  out  with  a sharp 
scalpel.  Picking  tungau  out  of  a “ cachila"  (white  man) 
is  a delight  to  the  native,  because  they  are  so  easily 
seen,  the  position  of  each  one  being  marked  by  an  angry 
red  blotch  on  an  otherwise  white  surface.  To  get  them 
out  of  dark  skins  is  quite  another  matter,  and  natives 
often  suffer  severely  in  consequence.  The  regulation 
treatment,  when  the  creatures  have  once  buried  them- 
selves, is  a sponge-bath  in  tobacco  juice. 

It  will  be  inferred  that  there  were  some  unpleasant 
features  about  our  life  in  the  woods,  yet  it  was  by  no 
means  without  its  agreeable  side.  Would  that  I had 
the  pen  to  describe  the  wonders  of  the  tropical  vege- 
tation, which  were  a never-ending  delight  to  me.  In 
Samar  I cut  down  a tree-fern  which  measured  eight 
inches  in  diameter.  The  butt  of  the  lowest  leaf  was 
thirty-six  feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  individual  leaves 
were  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  long.  They  were  as 
finely  cut  as  any  of  our  more  delicate  ferns,  and  more 
graceful  things  could  hardly  be  imagined.  I often  saw 
orchids  of  exquisite  beauty,  and  have  expended  many  a 
charge  in  shooting  down  clusters  of  wonderful  flowers 
from  plants  growing  in  inaccessible  places. 

Then,  too,  we  were  constantly  matching  our  wits 


334 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


against  those  of  the  wild  things  of  the  forest,  and  this 
had  its  own  excitement  and  brought  its  own  reward. 
In  most  branches  of  woodcraft  the  natives  could  give  us 
odds  and  beat  us,  yet  we  often  showed  them  birds  that 
they  had  never  seen  before.  Many  a strange  thing  we 
learned  about  the  ways  of  our  feathered  friends  — but  I 
am  in  danger  of  talking  shop. 

Before  leaving  our  woodland  acquaintances  for  good, 
however,  I must  describe  a scene  which  greatly  amused 
me.  One  evening  I stopped  to  rest  under  a wild  fig 
tree,  and  became  interested  in  watching  the  antics  of  a 
troop  of  monkeys  overhead.  They  had  never  learned 
that  man  was  to  be  feared,  and  after  dropping  a few 
gourds  and  dry  twigs  upon  me,  by  way  of  experiment, 
went  on  quite  unconcernedly  with  their  play.  One  old 
patriarch,  with  a set  of  gray  side-whiskers  that  gave  him 
a very  ministerial  air,  took  no  share  in  the  general  merry- 
making, but  sat  apart,  on  the  end  of  a dead  stub,  appar- 
ently lost  in  meditation.  Soon  I saw  a monkey  of 
tender  years  creep  stealthily  down  the  trunk,  steal  up 
behind  his  grandfather,  and  deliberately  push  the  old 
gentleman  off  the  limb.  The  poor  beast  fell  at  least 
forty  feet,  and  struck  hard  on  bare  earth.  I thought  the 
fall  would  have  broken  half  the  bones  in  his  body,  but 
he  picked  himself  up  after  a moment,  and  did  not  rest 
until  he  had  caught  the  practical  joker,  when  condign 
punishment  followed. 

On  the  tops  of  some  of  the  hills,  shut  in  by  mighty 


SAMAR 


335 


forests,  we  found  a number  of  clearings  inhabited  by 
“ remontados  ” — natives  who  have  taken  to  the  woods  to 
avoid  the  payment  of  taxes,  or  escape  the  oppression  of 
friars  and  officials.  They  were  raising  mountain  rice, 
yams,  and  bananas  ; and  as  they  had  plenty  of  chickens, 
they  lived  very  well.  Some  of  them  even  grew  abaca , 
which  they  managed  to  smuggle  into  town  and  sell. 
They  were  at  first  much  alarmed  lest  we  should  report 
them  to  the  authorities,  but  their  fears  were  groundless. 

Abaca , by  the  way,  is  the  chief  product  of  Samar, 
where  it  is  raised  in  considerable  quantities.  The  island 
also  has  an  immense  amount  of  valuable  timber  still 
standing.  It  is  without  high  mountains,  but  there  are 
several  rivers  of  some  importance. 

Whether  or  not  any  savages  remain,  I do  not  know. 
We  certainly  never  saw  or  heard  of  wild  tribes.  Brig- 
andage flourishes  to  a limited  extent,  but  there  is  less  of 
it  than  in  many  other  localities  which  we  visited,  and  we 
were  never  molested. 

The  climate  seemed  healthful.  At  all  events,  we 
never  had  a touch  of  fever  while  in  the  island,  and  were 
sorry  to  leave  our  forest  home  when  the  time  for  our 
departure  came. 


CHAPTER  XV 


MASBATE  AND  MARINDUQUE 

From  Catbalogan  the  Steere  expedition  sailed  on  a 
Spanish  brig  for  Palanog,  the  capital  of  Masbate.  After 
a pleasant  run  of  twenty-four  hours  we  entered  a bay  on 
the  east  coast  of  the  island,  but  at  first  could  see  no  sign 
of  the  town,  which  is  built  on  high  ground,  although 
near  the  water.  It  was  but  a small  place.  The  only 
public  buildings  were  the  church  and  schoolhouse, 
while  two  or  three  Chinese  merchants  attended  to 
its  business.  Even  the  governor’s  residence,  although 
large,  had  a thatched  roof. 

Masbate  is  inhabited  by  civilized  natives,  who  seem 
orderly  for  the  most  part,  although  we  heard  bad 
accounts  of  the  residents  in  the  extreme  southern  por- 
tion of  the  island.  Agriculture  is  practised  to  a very 
limited  extent.  The  only  important  crop  is  rice,  and 
even  that  is  not  cultivated  in  quantity  sufficient  to 
support  the  inhabitants. 

Raising  live-stock  is  the  chief  industry.  Extensive 
grassy  plains  afford  excellent  grazing  ground,  and  at 
the  time  I was  last  there  it  was  estimated  that  there 

336 


MASBATE 


337 


were  10,000  carabaos , 55,000  cattle,  and  4600  horses 
on  the  island. 

A considerable  quantity  of  valuable  timber  still  re- 
mains standing,  and  extensive  deposits  of  lignite  have 
loim  been  known. 

O 

Dr.  Steere  found  an  old  friend  in  the  governor, 
whom  he  had  met  in  1S74.  It  was  fortunate  that  this 
gentleman  took  a personal  interest  in  us,  as  otherwise 
we  should  have  experienced  difficulty  in  getting  a roof 
over  our  heads.  There  was  not  a vacant  house  in  town, 
and  the  tribunal  was  hardly  habitable,  but  the  governor 
declared  a vacation  during  our  stay,  and  dismissing 
school,  placed  the  schoolhouse  at  our  disposal. 

It  was  a large,  airy  building,  admirably  adapted  to  our 
purpose ; but  to  stop  the  education  of  all  the  young 
hopefuls  in  the  village  on  our  account  seemed  a rather 
strange  procedure.  No  great  importance  is  attached  to 
the  provincial  schools,  however,  and  they  are  usually 
wretched  travesties  on  what  such  schools  should  be. 
Some  forty  thousand  dollars  are  siipposed  to  be  ex- 
pended annually  for  their  maintenance.  There  is  a 
training  seminary  for  teachers  at  Manila,  but  they  are 
usually  ill  prepared  when  allowed  to  begin  work. 

The  practice  of  their  profession  brings  them  but  a 
miserable  pittance,  and  so  complicated  is  the  system  of 
drawing  salaries  that  they  are  often  forced  to  spend  a 
considerable  percentage  of  a month’s  wages  in  getting 
the  balance.  With  all  these  drawbacks,  something 


338 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


might  be  hoped  from  the  system  were  the  teachers 
given  a free  hand ; but  the  village  friars  are  ex  officio 
school-inspectors,  and  they  have  decided  ideas  of  their 
own  as  to  courses  of  study. 

The  old  laws  of  the  Indies  provide  that  Christian 
doctrine  shall  be  taught  to  the  natives  in  the  Spanish 
language,  and  numerous  decrees  have  been  published  in 
the  attempt  to  secure  the  carrying  out  of  this  require- 
ment. In  1887  the  Governor-General  sent  a commu- 
nication to  the  Archbishop,  somewhat  pointedly  calling 
his  attention  to  the  duty  of  himself  and  his  subordinates 
in  the  matter,  but  nothing  resulted.  The  simple  fact  is 
that  it  does  not  suit  the  purposes  of  the  provincial  friars 
to  have  their  parishioners  speak  Spanish. 

There  is  such  an  endless  multiplicity  of  native  dia- 
lects that  few  of  the  officials  attempt  to  master  any.  In 
fact,  they  are  transferred  from  one  post  to  another  with 
such  frequency  that  it  would  be  a well-nigh  hopeless 
undertaking.  The  friar,  however,  may  spend  the  better 
part  of  a lifetime  in  one  place,  and,  from  the  nature  of 
his  relations  with  his  people,  is  forced  to  learn  their 
language.  It  naturally  results  that  he  becomes  the 
most  available  means  of  communication  between  natives 
and  officials,  and  this  suits  his  convenience  so  well  that 
he  does  not  hesitate  to  forbid  the  teaching  of  Spanish. 
The  schoolmaster  is  powerless  to  oppose  him  success- 
fully, even  if  inclined  to  make  the  attempt.  The  result 
is  that  the  “ education  ” of  most  natives  consists  of  a 


M ASBATE 


339 


little  catechism  and  a few  prayers,  which  they  learn  in 
their  own  dialect.  The  more  fortunate  get  some  know- 
ledge of  writing  and  arithmetic,  with,  possibly,  a smat- 
tering of  Spanish. 

Interference  with  public  education  is  not  the  only 
evil  result  arising  from  the  preponderance  of  the  friars. 
The  whole  question  of  the  relation  of  the  Church  to  the 
past  history,  present  state,  and  future  prospects  of  the 
colony  is  a very  complicated  one.  It  is  a well-known 
fact  that  priests  proved  more  successful  than  soldiers  in 
bringing  about  the  subjugation  of  the  native  tribes  in 
the  early  days;  and  state  officials  still  depend  in  no 
small  degree  on  their  influence  to  secure  the  carrying 
out  of  legislation,  the  enlistment  of  troops,  and  the  like. 
If  the  immense  influence  which  the  religious  orders  un- 
questionably wield  were  always  used  to  further  good 
ends,  there  is  hardly  a limit  to  what  might  be  accom- 
plished. 

Unfortunately,  it  is  not  always  so  used.  The  attempt 
to  conceal  or  palliate  abuses  which  unquestionably  exist 
would  be  quite  as  indefensible  as  would  unsparing  con- 
demnation of  the  Church  and  its  methods.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  there  are  a number  of  powerful 
religious  orders  in  the  islands,  and  that  what  is  true  of 
one  is  not  necessarily  so  of  any  other. 

Take  the  Jesuits,  for  instance.  I believe  that  they 
are  distinctly  a power  for  good.  As  a rule,  they  are 
well  educated,  and  of  more  than  ordinary  ability.  Their 


340 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Ateneo  Municipal  in  Manila  is,  in  many  ways,  the 
best  educational  institution  in  the  colony  and  numbers 
among  its  faculty  many  very  competent  men.  Courses 
are  given  in  the  following  studies : — 


Algebra 

Arithmetic 

Agriculture 

Commerce 

Commercial  Law 

Commercial  Geography 

English 

French 


Geometry 

Greek 

History 

Latin  Grammar 
Latin  Composition 
Mechanics 

Mercantile  Arithmetic 
Natural  History 


Physics  and  Chemistry 

Philosophy 

Painting 

Rhetoric  and  Poetry 
Spanish  Classics 
Spanish  Composition 
Topography 
Trigonometry 


Very  fair  advantages  are  thus  offered  those  whose 
means  will  allow  them  to  avail  themselves  of  the  op- 
portunities which  this  institution  affords. 

The  Jesuits  also  conduct  a thoroughly  equipped  ob- 
servatory, which  is  under  the  directorship  of  Padre  Faure. 
It  is  especially  well  provided  with  apparatus  for  record- 
ing the  disturbances  caused  by  earthquakes,  and  with 
meteorological  instruments.  The  warnings  of  the  ap- 
proach of  typhoons,  which  this  observatory  furnishes, 
are  of  great  value  to  the  colony  and  to  foreign  shipping. 
They  are  even  cabled  to  Hong-Kong  when  the  course 
of  a storm  makes  such  a procedure  worth  while.  The 
men  in  charge  of  the  various  departments  of  work  are 
not  dabblers.  They  know  their  business,  and  attend 
to  it.  Unfortunately,  however,  the  Jesuits  are  prac- 
tically the  only  learned  ecclesiastics  in  the  islands, 


M ASB ATE 


34i 


and  they  have  been  badly  handicapped  in  their  work 
by  the  jealousy  of  other  orders. 

In  1768  they  were  expelled  from  the  colony,  and 
when  finally  allowed  to  return  in  1852,  it  was  only 
upon  condition  that  they  should  confine  themselves  to 
educational  work  and  to  the  establishment  of  missions 
among  the  savage  tribes.  In  actual  practice  they  have 
been  permitted  to  labour  only  in  Mindanao,  Basilan,  and 
Sulu,  where  they  must  propagate  their  faith  at  the  risk 
of  their  lives.  Many  a religious  enthusiast  has  fallen 
at  the  hands  of  Mohammedan  assassins  in  Mindanao. 

While  it  can  hardly  be  claimed  that  much  has  been 
accomplished  among  the  Moros,  who  cling  fanatically 
to  their  old  beliefs  and  practices,  good  work  has  been 
done  for  some  of  the  savage  tribes  in  the  interior  of 
Mindanao,  as  well  as  in  the  towns  of  the  Visayans 
(“  antiguos  cristianos  ” ) along  the  coast. 

As  the  result  of  what  I have  seen  in  Mindanao, 
Basilan,  and  Sulu,  I can  testify  to  the  absence  in 
these  islands  of  the  abuses  which  I have  observed 
elsewhere;  though  I may  say,  in  passing,  that  I have 
little  personal  ground  for  prejudice  in  favour  of  some  of 
the  Jesuit  missionary-priests  in  these  localities.  I dis- 
tinctly remember  serving  in  the  capacity  of  “ an  awful 
example  ” in  a sermon  preached  by  the  padre  at  Ayala, 
who  called  me  “an  animal  without  religion,”  and  likened 
me  to  the  festive  carabao. 

On  the  whole,  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  mission- 


342 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


ary-priests  are  an  exceptionally  strong  set  of  men, 
and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  while  engaged  in  try- 
ing to  save  the  souls  of  the  Mindanao  natives,  they 
have  found  time  to  make  the  only  reliable  map  of  the 
island  extant. 

It  is,  I think,  fair  to  say  that  the  Jesuits  stand,  in  the 
Philippines,  for  education  and  morality;  while  among 
their  number  are  to  be  found  the  only  men  in  the 
archipelago  engaged  in  scientific  research.  The  quaint 
old  map  of  the  Philippines  here  reproduced  was  pre- 
pared by  a Jesuit  father  of  earlier  times,  and  is  in- 
teresting as  showing  that  in  the  past,  as  well  as  at 
present,  the  order  has  appreciated  the  value  of  learning 
and  of  scientific  work. 

Unfortunately  for  the  colony,  a large  majority  of 
those  who  have  its  spiritual  welfare  in  charge  are  men 
of  a very  different  stamp.  The  decisions  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Trent,  which  prohibited  friars  from  holding  bene- 
fices, have  never  been  carried  out  in  the  Philippines, 
and  the  parishes  are,  for  the  most  part,  parcelled  out 
between  the  Austin  friars,  the  Dominicans,  the  Fran- 
ciscans, and  the  Recoletos.  It  is  an  indisputable  fact 
that  these  orders  are  largely  recruited  from  the  lowest 
ranks  of  Spanish  society,  and  that  their  members 
enter  upon  their  important  duties  with  no  other 
training  than  that  of  the  seminary.  Rough  soldiers 
have  been  known  to  profit  by  their  observations 
while  campaigning  in  the  islands,  return  to  Spain, 


MAS BATE 


343 


and  in  a short  time  reappear  in  the  colony  as  full- 
fledged  friars. 

What  has  been  the  result?  In  answering  this  ques- 
tion, I cannot  do  better  than  to  quote  directly  from 
Foreman’s  chapter  on  the  preponderance  of  the  friars ; 1 
and  I ask  my  readers  to  bear  in  mind,  while  weighing 
his  testimony,  the  fact  that  he  was  himself  a loyal 
Catholic. 

“ The  religious  Corporations  possess  large  private  revenues.  Their 
investments  in  Hongkong  are  extensive.  The  Austin  and  Dominican 
friars  in  particular  hold  very  valuable  real  property  in  the  Provinces 
near  Manila,  which  is  rented  out  to  the  native  agriculturalists  on  tyran- 
nical conditions.  On  the  Laguna  de  Bay  shore  the  rent  is  raised,  as 
the  natives,  at  their  own  expense,  improve  their  holdings.  Leases  are 
granted  for  the  nominal  term  of  three  years,  but  the  receipts  given  for 
the  rent  are  very  cunningly  worded.  Some  have  been  shown  to  me  ; 
neither  the  amount  of  money  paid,  nor  the  extent  of  the  land  rented, 
nor  its  situation  is  mentioned  in  the  document,  so  that  the  tenant  is 
constantly  at  the  mercy  of  the  owners.  The  native  planters  are  much 
incensed  at  the  treatment  they  receive  from  these  landowners,  and  their 
numerous  well-founded  complaints  form  part  of  the  general  outcry 
against  the  priesthood.  The  bailiffs  of  these  corporation  lands  are 
unordained  brothers  of  the  Order.  They  are  under  certain  religious 
vows,  but  are  not  entitled  to  say  Mass.  They  reside  in  the  Estate 
Houses,  and  by  courtesy  are  styled  ‘ fathers  ’ by  the  natives.  By  their 
own  Order  they  are  termed  1 legos'  or  ignorant  men. 

“The  clergy  also  derive  a very  large  portion  of  their  incomes  from 
commission  on  the  sale  of  cedulas,  sales  of  Papal  Bulls,  masses,  pictures, 
books,  chaplets,  and  indulgences,  marriage,  burial,  and  baptismal  fees, 
benedictions,  donations  touted  for  after  the  crops  are  raised,  legacies  to 
be  paid  for  in  masses,  remains  of  wax  candles  left  in  the  church  by  the 

1 “The  Philippine  Islands,”  John  Foreman.  London,  1892,  Chapter  VIII. 


344 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


faithful,  fees  for  getting  souls  out  of  purgatory,  alms,  etc.  The  surplus 
revenues  over  and  above  parochial  requirements  are  supposed  to  aug- 
ment the  common  Church  funds  in  Manila.  The  Corporations  are  con- 
sequently immensely  wealthy,  and  their  power  and  influence  is  in 
consonance  with  that  wealth. 

“ Each  Order  has  its  procurator  in  Madrid,  who  takes  up  the  cudgels 
in  defence  of  his  Corporation’s  interest  in  the  Philippines  whenever  this 
is  menaced.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Church,  as  a body-politic,  dis- 
penses no  charity,  but  receives  all.  It  is  always  begging ; always  above 
civil  laws  and  taxes  ; claims  immunity  ; proclaims  poverty,  and  inculcates 
in  others  charity  to  itself.” 

Of  the  friars  themselves  Foreman  says:  — 

“They  are  usually  taken  from  the  peasantry  and  families  of  lowly 
station.  As  a rule,  they  have  little  or  no  secular  education,  and  regard- 
ing them  apart  from  their  religious  training,  they  may  be  considered  a 
very  ignorant  class. 

“ So  large  is  the  party  opposed  to  the  continuance  of  priestly  influ- 
ence in  the  colony,  that  a six  months’  resident  would  not  fail  to  hear  of 
the  many  iniquities  with  which  the  Friars  in  general  are  reproached.  It 
is  only  natural  that  amongst  the  large  body  of  them  dispersed  over  the 
Philippines,  there  should  be  found  a number  of  black  sheep,  especially 
when  it  is  taken  into  account  the  unrefined  class  from  which  the  major- 
ity are  recruited.  If  self-indulgence  is  to  be  accounted  a sin,  then  they 
are  sinful  indeed.  And  it  would  be  contrary  to  fact,  too,  to  pretend  that 
the  bulk  of  them  support  their  teaching  by  personal  example.  I have 
been  acquainted  with  a great  number  of  the  priests  and  their  offspring 
too,  in  spite  of  their  vow  of  chastity;  whilst  many  live  in  comparative 
luxury,  notwithstanding  their  vow  of  poverty. 

“ Tirades  against  the  shortcomings  of  the  priests  are  often  launched  so 
passionately  and  indiscriminately,  that  I shun  the  citation  of  more  sam- 
ple cases  of  individual  delinquency  than  may  suffice  to  demonstrate  that 
the  clergy  in  the  Philippines  are  but  men,  in  no  degree  superior,  as  a 
body,  to  mankind  in  common.  Scores  of  such  cases,  far  surpassing 
them  in  gravity,  though  varying  in  circumstances,  have  come  to  my 


MASBATE 


345 


knowledge,  but  to  note  them  does  not  enter  into  the  plan  of  a work 
whose  object  is  not  to  offend  by  the  exposure  of  detail,  but  — based  on 
it — to  lay  down  a just  estimate  of  the  whole  subject. 

“ I was  in  Manila  a few  years  back,  when  a capital  crime,  committed 
by  a depraved  Spanish  Gentleman  of  the  Cloth,  excited  general  indigna- 
tion for  a while. 

“ In  June,  1888,  some  cases  of  personal  effects  belonging  to  a Friar 
were  consigned  to  the  care  of  an  intimate  friend  of  mine,  whose  guest  I 
was  at  the  time.  They  had  become  soaked  with  sea-water  before  he 
received  them,  and  a neighbouring  priest  requested  him  to  open  the 
packages  and  do  what  he  could  to  save  the  contents.  I assisted  my 
friend  in  this  task,  and  among  the  Friar’s  personal  effects  we  were  sur- 
prised to  find  intermixed  with  prayer-books,  scapularies,  missals,  prints 
of  saints,  etc.,  about  a dozen  most  disgusting  obscene  double-picture 
slides  for  a stereoscope.  What  an  entertainment  for  a guide  in  morals  ! 
This  same  Friar  had  held  a vicarage  before  in  another  Province,  but 
having  become  an  habitual  drunkard,  he  was  removed  to  Manila,  and 
there  appointed  a confessor.  From  Manila  he  had  just  been  again  sent 
to  take  charge  of  the  cure  of  souls. 

“A  priest  of  evil  propensities  brings  only  misery  to  the  parish  to 
which  he  is  appointed,  and  stirs  up  the  feeling  of  odium  against  the 
Spanish  Friars  in  general. 

“ I knew  a money-grabbing  priest  — a Friar  — who  publicly  announced 
raffles  from  the  pulpit  of  the  church  from  which  he  preached  morality 
and  devotion.  On  one  occasion  a $200  watch  was  put  up  for  $500  — 
at  another  time  he  raffled  dresses  for  the  women.  Under  the  pretext  of 
being  a religious  association,  he  established  a society  of  the  women, 
called  members  of  the  association  of  Saint  Joseph  ( Confradia  de  San 
fose) , upon  whom  he  imposed  the  obnoxious  duty  of  hawking  about  the 
raffle  tickets.  He  had  the  audacity  to  dictate  to  a friend  of  mine  — a 

planter  Don  L L the  value  of  the  gift  he  was  to  make  him,  and 

when  the  planter  was  at  length  disgusted  with  his  demands,  he  conspired 
with  a Spaniard  to  deprive  the  planter  of  his  estate,  alleging  that  he  was 
not  the  real  owner.  Failing  in  this,  he  stirred  up  the  petty  Governor 
and  headmen  against  him.  The  petty  Governor  was  urged  to  litigation, 


346 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


and  when  he  received  an  unfavourable  sentence,  the  priest,  enraged  at 
the  abortive  result  of  his  malicious  intrigues,  actually  left  his  vicarage  to 
accompany  his  litigious  protege  to  the  chief  judge  of  the  Province,  in 
quest  of  a reversion  of  the  sentence. 

“ I remember  only  too  well  a certain  native  Father  L , a parish 

priest  in  Visayas,  who  was  accused  of  several  crimes,  one  of  which 
was  that  of  having  murdered  a native  for  lust.  On  the  1 7th  of  August, 
1881,  I arrived  at  the  Tribunal  of  Marayo,  and  demanded  horses  to 
continue  my  journey.  Whilst  I was  waiting  there,  a crowd  assembled 
and  threatened  to  take  my  life.  One  man  raised  his  knife  when  I 
turned  my  back,  but  I was  in  time  to  face  him  with  my  revolver,  and 
he  sneaked  off. 

“ After  a deal  of  wrangling  and  shouting,  I managed  to  clear  the 
Tribunal,  and  it  was  only  the  next  day  that  I got  to  know  the  cause  of  the 
tumult.  It  appeared  that  a Spanish  Officer  named  Perdigon  had  been 

commissioned  to  capture  the  delinquent  Father  L -,  and  the  priest’s 

family,  in  order  to  subvert  justice,  had  basely  spread  the  report  that 
Perdigon  was  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit.  Hence  the  family  incited  the 
natives  to  kill  any  European  who  chanced  to  travel  along  that  coast  in 
case  he  should  turn  out  to  be  the  officer  in  question.  ...  ♦ 

“The  mysterious  deaths  of  General  Solano  (in  August,  i860)  and 
of  Zamora,  the  Bishop-elect  of  Cebu  (in  1873),  which  occurred  so 
opportunely  for  Philippine  monastic  welfare,  are,  historically  considered, 
recent  events,  the  elucidation  of  which  I leave  to  future  chroniclers  to 
place  on  public  record.” 


That  the  above  statements  are  moderate  any  one 
knows  who  has  travelled  at  all  extensively  in  the  colony, 
and  Foreman  is  well  within  the  truth  when  he  says 
that  instances  far  worse  than  those  cited  by  him  might 
easily  be  given.  It  is  not  from  any  lack  of  similar 
facts  within  my  personal  knowledge  that  I have  quoted 
him  so  extensively  in  this  connection,  but  for  the  reason 


MASBATE 


347 


that  his  religious  proclivities  place  him  above  the  sus- 
picion of  prejudice  which  might  attach  to  one  not  an 
adherent  of  the  Catholic  faith. 

In  defiance  of  all  regulations  to  the  contrary,  the 
friars  not  infrequently  make  such  extortionate  charges 
for  performing  the  marriage  ceremony  as  to  give  rise 
to  a wide-spread  and  almost  necessary  custom  of  dis- 
pensing with  it. 

In  Masbate  we  were  told  that  the  charge  for  burying 
a body  was  fifty  dollars  without  a coffin,  and  seventy- 
five  if  a coffin  was  used,  while  it  must  be  bought  of 
the  priest  at  a good  price. 

The  result  of  all  this  has  been  the  utter  demoraliza- 
tion of  many  Philippine  towns  and  villages,  and  it  is 
certainly  not  too  much  to  say  that,  in  spite  of  some 
bright  exceptions  to  the  general  rule  of  ignorance  and 
brutish  licentiousness,  the  friars  as  a class  exert  an 
extremely  bad  influence.  The  unwisdom  of  allowing 
them  privileges  in  the  Philippines  which  would  not 
be  accorded  them  elsewhere  would  seem  to  have  been 
sufficiently  demonstrated.  That  their  evil  practices  have 
been  one  of  the  potent  causes  leading  to  the  recent 
revolt,  no  one  doubts  who  is  in  the  least  familiar  with 
social  and  political  conditions  in  the  Philippines ; and 
much  can  be  said  in  favour  of  the  insurgents’  demand 
that  they  be  expelled  from  the  colony,  and  their  places 
taken  by  clerigos , or  secular  clergymen  not  belonging 
to  any  order. 


34« 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


It  is,  however,  one  thing  to  plan  reforms  and  another 
to  carry  them  out.  With  the  great  wealth  which  the 
existing  religious  corporations  have  accumulated  has 
come  immense  power,  and  whoever  attempts  to  oppose 
them  will  feel  the  weight  of  it.  If  it  were  possible  to 
weed  out  the  men  who  showed  themselves  unworthy, 
this  would  seem  the  logical  method  of  getting  at  the 
difficulty;  but,  unfortunately,  it  is  too  often  true  that 
to  touch  a Philippine  friar  is  to  bring  upon  one’s  self 
the  ill-will,  if  not  the  vengeance,  of  the  organization 
to  which  he  belongs. 

No  one  problem  more  intimately  concerns  the  future 
of  the  Philippines  than  the  correction  of  the  abuses 
which  natives  and  Spaniards  alike  have  had  to  suffer 
at  the  hands  of  representatives  of  the  Church ; nor  is 
there  any  other  which  presents  more  difficulties.  It 
would  seem  that  we.  must  look  to  the  Church  itself 
for  the  final  solution.  When  one  remembers  the  sturdy 
uprightness  and  good  citizenship  displayed  by  leading 
Catholics  in  many  other  parts  of  the  world,  it  can 
hardly  be  doubted  that,  once  the  wretched  conditions 
prevailing  in  the  Philippines  are  understood,  the  remedy 
for  them  will  be  forthcoming. 

When  this  day  comes,  the  Church  may  look  forward 
to  a bright  future  in  the  Philippines,  and  with  the 
mighty  power  which  it  undoubtedly  exerts  wielded 
for  the  right,  there  will  be  better  days  in  store  for 
the  colony  itself. 


M ASB ATE 


349 


It  is  nevertheless  true  that  there  is  a numerous 
class  made  up  of  men  who  have  suffered  at  the  hands 
of  the  friars  wrongs  of  a sort  which  they  will  never 
forget;  and  I can  hardly  agree  with  Foreman  that  in 
preventing  the  propagation  of  other  forms  of  religious 
belief  the  clergy  have  conserved  the  best  interests  of 
the  colony.  While  it  is  certain  that  much  trouble 
and  confusion  would  at  first  result  from  preaching 
the  Protestant  faith  to  the  natives,  yet  the  active  com- 
petition which  would  inevitably  arise  between  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  two  forms  of  religious  belief  might 
react  wholesomely  upon  the  individual  workers  them- 
selves, and  tend  to  keep  them  in  that  strait  and 
narrow  path  from  which,  unfortunately,  Protestant  as 
well  as  Catholic  missionaries  have  been  known  to  stray. 

But  I have  wandered  a long  way  from  the  story  of 
our  experiences.  Our  first  visit  to  Masbate  was  des- 
tined to  be  short  and  uneventful.  An  unexpected  simi- 
larity between  the  birds  of  the  island  and  those  of 
Panay  caused  us  to  abandon  our  intention  of  making 
an  extended  stay,  and  at  the  end  of  a week  we  sailed 
for  Marinduque. 

When  I next  visited  Masbate  I was  accompanied 
only  by  Mateo,  Bourns  having  gone  to  North  Borneo. 
On  this  occasion  I was  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a 
private  house,  so  that  school  was  not  interrupted. 

For  some  time  our  life  was  monotonous  enough, 
although  we  did  have  some  trouble  with  our  neigh- 


350 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


hours’  dogs.  The  truth  of  the  old  saying  that  “ every 

poor  man  keeps  a dog,  and  every  d d poor  man 

keeps  two  ” is  abundantly  demonstrated  in  the  Philip- 
pines, where,  to  judge  from  the  number  of  dogs,  the 
degree  of  poverty  of  many  of  the  inhabitants  would  be 
represented  by  a long  series  of  “blanks.”  Palanog  was 
simply  infested  by  half-starved  curs,  which  assailed  us 
in  mobs  whenever  we  came  on  the  streets.  I under- 
stood enough  of  the  native  dialect  to  know  that  their 
owners,  while  going  through  the  motions  of  calling  them 
off,  were  really  setting  them  on.  After  first  securing  the 
permission  of  the  governor,  I emptied  both  barrels  of 
my  shotgun  among  the  next  pack  of  dogs  that  attacked 
me,  and  thereafter  the  survivors  were  kept  tied  up. 

Philippine  dogs  usually  have  to  forage  for  them- 
selves, and  will  climb  the  ladder  of  a house  and  steal 
one’s  dinner  under  his  very  nose.  They  were  attracted 
by  the  smell  of  the  birds  that  we  skinned,  so  that  we 
often  found  it  necessary  to  haul  up  our  ladder  at  night, 
in  order  to  keep  out  prowlers.  They  frequently  re- 
venged themselves  on  us  by  sitting  around  and  making 
night  hideous  with  their  howls.  In  order  to  abate  this 
nuisance  we  carried  a little  twenty-two-calibre  Colt 
rifle,  shooting  cartridges  loaded  with  dust-shot,  which 
would  sting  a dog  sharply,  without  penetrating  his  skin. 
We  became  quite  expert  with  this  weapon,  and  could  hit 
the  source  of  a howl  in  the  dark  with  a good  deal  of 
regularity. 


M ASB ATE 


35i 


A short  time  after  our  arrival  at  Palanog,  a typhoon 
swept  over  Masbate.  We  got  only  the  edge  of  it,  but 
it  unroofed  the  governor’s  house,  and  did  considerable 
damage  in  the  village.  The  natives  displayed  some 
ingenuity  in  saving  their  banana  plants.  As  soon  as 
the  nature  of  the  storm  became  evident,  they  ran  out 
with  machetes  tied  to  long  bamboos,  and  cut  all  the 
leaves  save  the  newest  one  from  every  plant,  thus  pre- 
venting their  being  uprooted  by  the  wind. 

The  storm  was  more  violent  on  the  southwest  coast 
of  the  island  than  with  us,  and  on  crossing  to  that  side 
a few  days  later,  I saw  a fine  schooner  landed  forty  rods 
from  shore  in  a paddy-field.  The  paint  on  her  bottom 
was  not  so  much  as  scratched,  and  every  rope  and  brace 
was  in  place,  but  her  owner  never  got  her  afloat.  The 
beach  was  strewn  with  fragments  of  craft  which  had 
been  even  less  fortunate. 

Our  trip  from  Palanog  to  the  contra  costa  was  one  of 
the  most  rapid  I ever  made  while  in  the  islands.  We 
had  a very  strong  order  from  the  governor  to  gobevna- 
dorcillos , so  that  there  was  no  delay  in  getting  what 
help  we  wanted.  We  crossed  the  bay  to  its  head,  and 
ascended  a river  as  far  as  we  could  get  by  banca,  start- 
ing at  ten  in  the  evening,  in  order  to  benefit  by  a high 
tide.  The  few  hours  which  remained  before  daylight 
were  passed  in  a native  hut,  and  by  sunrise  we  were  off 
on  fast  horses. 

A fairly  good  path  led  through  open,  grass-covered 


352 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


country  to  the  town  of  Milagros  on  the  south  coast; 
and  there,  after  a short  stop  to  eat,  we  got  a sail-boat 
and  started  for  a little  place  called  Malbo'og  where  deer 
were  very  abundant.  It  was  to  hunt  them  that  we  had 
come. 

Unfortunately  the  season  was  the  most  unfavourable 
one  that  we  could  have  chosen.  The  whole  country 
was  one  vast  cogonal \ and  the  grass  was  at  its  tallest. 
When  actually  on  the  ground  we  learned  that  the  na- 
tives did  not  begin  to  hunt  until  February,  at  which 
time  they  first  burned  the  cogonales  over,  and  then 
drove  the  deer  from  the  swamps,  where  they  took  refuge, 
into  the  open,  and  ran  them  down  on  horseback. 

We  were  assured  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  do 
anything  in  the  tall  grass,  but  would  not  give  up  without 
an  effort.  The  morning  after  our  arrival  it  began  to 
rain,  and  hardly  stopped  during  our  stay.  We  at  first 
tried  hunting  with  horses,  and  nearly  broke  our  necks. 
The  cogon  was  full  of  concealed  ditches,  made,  appar- 
ently, by  the  rooting  of  wild  hogs  and  the  subsequent 
action  of  the  rains.  We  were  repeatedly  thrown,  and 
after  one  of  our  horses  had  broken  a leg,  took  to 
buffaloes,  as  it  was  impossible  to  get  through  the  grass 
on  foot.  The  carabaos  were  sure-footed,  but  the  cogon 
was  so  high  we  could  see  little  from  their  backs,  while 
they  took  decided  exception  to  the  reports,  and  even 
the  smell,  of  our  guns.  At  the  end  of  a terribly  hard 
week’s  work  we  had  killed  but  one  deer. 


M ASB ATE 


353 


It  was  then  high  time  to  return  to  Palanog,  as  our 
Manila  steamer  was  almost  due.  The  gobernadorcillo 
of  the  place  was  an  ignorant,  pig-headed  old  fellow, 
who  could  not  read  the  order  which  I carried,  and 
had  not  wit  enough  to  comprehend  it  when  trans- 
lated for  him.  He  declined  to  get  me  a boat  for 
the  return  trip  to  Milagros  until  I brought  him  to 
time  by  the  use  of  somewhat  vigorous  measures, 
whereupon  he  revenged  himself  by  giving  me  a crew 
who  knew  nothing  about  the  management  of  a sailing 
craft. 

As  there  were  extensive  shoals  in  front  of  Malbo'og, 
I was  forced  to  start  at  three  in  the  morning,  in 
order  to  catch  the  tide  right;  and  in  blissful  ignorance 
of  the  character  of  my  crew,  I lay  down  under  my 
nipa  awning,  and  went  to  sleep. 

When  I awoke  we  were  almost  out  of  sight  of  the 
low  shore,  and  standing  straight  out  to  sea.  In  sur- 
prise I asked  the  reason,  and  found  that  when  it 
became  necessary  to  tack,  my  men  had  not  known 
how  to  bring  the  boat  around.  They  were  accordingly 
heading  for  a little  island  ten  miles  out,  with  the  idea 
of  pushing  the  boat's  nose  about  with  poles.  I turned 
captain,  and  with  Mateo  for  first  mate  we  beat  slowly 
back,  but  a trip  that  should  not  have  taken  more  than 
four  hours  cost  us  fifteen. 

We  were  forced  to  stop  at  the  Milagros  tribunal 
for  the  night,  and  had  hardly  entered  the  building 


354 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


when  two  cuadrilleros  brought  in  a man  with  his 
throat  cut  from  ear  to  ear.  It  seemed  that  he  had 
become  jealous  of  his  wife,  and  after  hacking  her 
with  a machete  until  she  was  apparently  dead,  had 
tried  to  end  his  own  life  by  cutting  his  throat,  inflict- 
ing a long  but  not  very  deep  wound.  He  had  been 
secured  by  splitting  a large  bamboo,  cutting  notches 
in  the  halves  for  his  wrists,  and  tying  the  pieces 
together  again  on  them.  The  openings  left  were  too 
small,  and  the  resulting  compression  of  the  arteries 
had  nearly  cut  off  circulation  from  his  hands,  which 
were  horribly  swollen.  No  effort  had  been  made  to 
dress  the  wound  in  his  neck,  and  he  had  been  forced 
to  walk  a dozen  miles  to  town.  He  was  drenched 
from  head  to  foot  with  his  own  blood,  and  a more 
ghastly  sight  I never  saw. 

The  authorities  put  him  into  the  stocks  in  our 
sleeping  apartment.  His  two  captors  were  confined 
on  each  side  of  him,  after  being  given  a sound  beating, 
because  they  had  failed  to  bring  in  the  injured  woman 
as  well  as  her  assailant.  The  law  requires  that  both 
criminal  and  victim  shall  be  arrested.  It  seems  they 
had  started  with  her,  but  as  she  could  not  walk,  and 
seemed  to  be  rapidly  failing,  they  had  left  her  to  be 
cared  for  in  a house  by  the  wayside.  Here  she  died 
a few  hours  later. 

During  the  night  that  followed,  the  murderer  man- 
aged to  free  himself  from  the  stocks,  and  decamped, 


M ASB ATE 


355 


taking  with  him  a fine  dagger  which  I had  carried 
for  more  than  two  years.  We  were  thankful  that  he 
did  not  use  it  before  leaving  us,  and  I have  often 
wondered  what  was  the  subsequent  history  of  that 
knife.  Before  we  took  our  departure  the  gobernadorcillo 
had  been  put  into  the  stocks,  for  allowing  his  charge 
to  escape,  and  the  officials  of  the  place  were  becoming 
more  and  more  deeply  involved  in  legal  complications 
every  moment,  while  it  apparently  occurred  to  no  one 
that  it  would  be  desirable  to  recapture  the  criminal. 

We  rode  hard  that  day,  fearing  that  the  rain,  which 
was  still  falling,  might  raise  the  streams  in  our  path 
until  they  became  unfordable.  It  proved  that  we  had 
cause  for  alarm.  A small  river  near  the  centre  of  the 
island  was  so  swollen  that  even  a water-buffalo  refused 
to  face  the  fierce  current.  A native,  who  lived  near 
by,  said  that  the  stream  had  risen  suddenly  that  morn- 
ing, and  predicted  that  it  would  fall  again  before  night 
if  there  were  no  very  heavy  showers  during  the  day. 
There  was  certainly  nothing  for  it  but  to  wait  and  see. 
We  rode  over  all  the  neighbouring  country  before  we 
could  get  food  enough  together  for  a decent  meal,  but 
finally  managed  to  purchase  five  eggs  and  a chicken. 

The  native  above  referred  to  undertook  to  prepare 
dinner  for  us,  and  we  went  down  to  watch  the  flood. 
As  time  passed  we  began  to  wonder  that  we  were 
not  called,  and  upon  investigation  found  that  the  padre 
from  Milagros  had  arrived,  and  had  eaten  our  dinner. 


356 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


I was  just  in  time  to  rescue  one  of  the  eggs  and  a 
little  boiled  rice. 

By  three  o’clock  the  river  was  fordable,  and  we 
pressed  on,  accompanied  by  the  reverend  gentleman 
who  had  stolen  our  meal.  He  was  bound  for  Pala- 
nog,  like  ourselves,  and  kindly  offered  to  ride  over  in 
our  boat.  Just  before  we  reached  the  head  waters  of 
the  stream  on  which  we  had  left  it,  there  came  a per- 
fect cloud-burst.  Such  rain  I have  never  seen.  The 
horses  stopped  and  refused  to  move.  It  was  over  in 
a few  minutes,  but  we  knew  only  too  well  what  it 
would  do  to  that  river,  and  as  we  had  to  cross  it  four 
times  within  a mile  there  was  not  a moment  to  be  lost. 
Putting  whip  to  our  horses,  we  made  the  first  three 
fords  without  trouble,  and  had  begun  to  think  our 
fears  groundless  when  a sullen  roar  up  the  valley  told 
us  that  the  flood  was  coming.  The  padre  hesitated, 
but  Mateo  and  I rode  furiously  into  the  stream  at  the 
last  crossing.  Mateo  went  first  and  got  safely  over, 
but  a wall  of  muddy  water,  thick  with  all  manner  of 
debris,  struck  me  while  some  distance  from  shore,  and 
in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  I was  swimming 
down-stream  beside  my  horse,  with  a hand  in  his 
mane.  The  plucky  little  beast  finally  made  a landing 
at  the  side  of  an  eddy,  but  the  brush  was  so  thick  he' 
could  not  force  his  way  through  it.  1 got  out  by 
crawling  along  the  ground,  and  sent  men  to  cut  a 
path  to  the  horse  with  machetes. 


MASBATE 


357 


The  padre  was  left  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  stream, 
but  he  found  shelter  in  a native  hut.  At  the  house 
where  we  had  before  spent  the  night,  men  sent  over  by 
the  sfovernor  were  waiting  to  take  us  back.  In  addi- 
tion,  there  was  a crowd  of  storm-bound  people.  The 
food  of  the  native  who  had  hospitably  taken  them  in 
was  completely  exhausted,  and  I thought  we  should 
have  to  go  to  bed  hungry,  as  well  as  wet,  but  a kind- 
hearted  old  woman  produced  a pint  of  rice,  which  had 
been  concealed  somewhere  about  her  person,  and  in- 
sisted on  giving  it  to  us ; so  we  made  a meal  on  it, 
boiled,  without  salt. 

We  passed  a wretched  night  in  our  wet  clothes,  and 
were  stirring  early  the  next  morning.  I sent  the  men 
to  the  boat  at  once,  with  our  few  belongings,  following 
them  myself  a few  moments  later,  only  to  find  them  on 
the  opposite  bank,  tugging  away  at  a great  ark  of  a craft, 
which  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  get  afloat  be- 
fore high  tide,  six  hours  later.  On  inquiry  I learned  that 
the  padre  had  ordered  my  men  to  paddle  my  boat  across 
the  stream,  and  after  inspecting  it,  had  decided  that  it 
was  not  commodious  enough  for  him.  He  had  then 
commanded  them  to  launch  the  huge  affair  above  men- 
tioned and  had  himself  gone  back  for  another  nap,  leav- 
ing word  for  me  that  he  should  not  be  ready  to  start 
before  nine,  and  meanwhile  did  not  wish  to  be  disturbed. 
I had  no  thought  of  disturbing  him.  Calling  Mateo,  I 
ordered  my  men  and  boat  back  to  our  side  of  the  river ; 


358 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


we  stepped  in  and  pushed  off ; my  astonished  oarsmen 
had  hardly  remarked,  UY  el  padre , senor?"  when  they 
found  themselves  fully  occupied  in  keeping  the  banca 
from  upsetting,  as  the  swift  current  whirled  us  around 
a bend  in  the  stream. 

Borne  rapidly  onward,  we  soon  reached  the  bay.  A 
strong  wind  from  the  northeast  had  already  set  the 
waves  to  rolling,  but  we  could  not  get  back  up  river 
against  that  current,  so  we  went  on.  The  ride  to  Pa- 
lanog  was  one  of  the  wildest  I ever  took;  but  thanks 
to  the  stanchness  of  our  little  craft,  we  got  in  safely, 
though  hatless  and  drenched  with  salt  spray.  Had 
we  delayed  our  departure  an  hour,  we  could  not  have 
reached  our  destination ; for  by  that  time  the  wind  was 
blowing  furiously,  and  a sea  was  running  that  no  banca 
could  have  lived  in. 

The  steamer  was  in  when  we  reached  Palanog,  but 
the  weather  continued  so  wild  that  she  did  not  sail  for 
three  days,  so  that  we  had  abundant  time  to  get  our- 
selves and  our  belongings  on  board. 

To  go  back  to  the  story  of  the  Steere  expedition:  we 
sailed  from  Palanog  for  Boac,  in  Marinduque.  A rather 
unfortunate  event  marked  our  arrival  at  our  destination. 
Our  baggage  having  been  landed  at  low  tide,  just  above 
the  water’s  edge,  the  enterprising  proprietors  of  buffalo- 
carts  in  the  neighbourhood  thought  they  saw  an  oppor- 
tunity to  drive  a sharp  bargain  with  us,  as  we  had  a 
huge  pile  of  boxes  and  chests,  and  the  tide  was  just  on 


MARIN  DUQUE 


359 


the  turn.  They  accordingly  doubled  their  usual  charge 
for  moving  such  a load.  Dr.  Steere’s  management 
of  the  negotiations  which  followed  was  hardly  diplo- 
matic, as  he  had  neglected  to  take  the  precaution  of 
having  the  flood-tide  delayed.  He  contrived  to  anger 
the  natives,  who  refused  to  help  us  at  any  price ; so  we 
had  to  half  kill  ourselves  in  a frantic  effort  to  carry  our 
heavy  chests  to  a dry  place,  and  then  stand  guard  over 
them  all  night.  As  it  was,  some  of  them  got  soaked 
with  sea-water,  and  the  next  morning  we  paid  double 
the  price  first  asked,  to  have  them  taken  to  the  house 
which  we  had  rented.  All  of  which  simply  goes  to 
illustrate  the  fact  that  the  P hilippine  native  is  often 
more  easily  led  than  driven  ! 

Marinduque  is  a small  island,  forming  politically  a 
part  of  the  province  of  Mindoro.  Its  people  are  civil- 
ized Tagalogs.  After  the  effect  of  the  first  unlucky 
episode  had  worn  off,  we  found  them  kindly  and  hos- 
pitable. They  worked  for  us  almost  as  diligently  as 
had  the  natives  of  Siquijor. 

We  did  not  travel  extensively,  but  found  the  country 
near  Boac  low,  flat,  and  cleared  of  trees.  Rice  was 
being  harvested  in  large  quantities,  and  we  were  much 
interested  in  watching  the  primitive  methods  employed. 
The  only  implement  used  by  the  reapers  was  a small 
knife,  with  which  they  cut  the  heads  of  grain  from  the 
stalks  one  at  a time.  The  rice  was  then  trodden  out 
under  the  feet  of  women  and  girls,  and  the  hull  removed 


360 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


TYPICAL  PHILIPPINE  SCENE  — LUZON 


MARINDUQUE 


361 


by  pounding  in  wooden  mortars.  The  winnowing  was 
done  with  flat  baskets,  rice  and  chaff  being  tossed  up 
into  the  air  together,  and  the  more  rapidly  falling  grain 
caught  on  the  basket,  which  was  then  jerked  aside  in 
time  to  allow  some  of  the  chaff  to  fall  on  the  ground. 
The  operation  was  repeated  until  only  clean,  white 
kernels  remained.  (See  illustration  on  opposite  page.) 

Small  quantities  of  very  fine  abaca  are  grown  in 
Marinduque.  The  fibre  is  unusually  long,  and  brings  a 
special  price,  being  used  for  the  manufacture  of  whaling- 
lines. 

Some  forest  remained  on  the  island,  but  near  Boac 
most  of  the  trees  had  been  cut  off.  Horses  were  very 
numerous,  and  correspondingly  cheap.  When  riding, 
the  women  of  the  region  wore  hats,  a custom  which  I 
never  noticed  elsewhere  in  the  Philippines. 

We  lived  well  in  Marinduque,  as  food  was  to  be  had 
in  abundance  and  variety;  but  toward  the  end  of  our 
stay  it  became  less  a question  of  what  was  to  be  had 
than  of  our  ability  to  pay  for  what  we  needed.  An 
unexpected  delay  in  our  mails  left  us  short  of  money, 
and  it  was  decided  that  I should  go  to  Manila  and 
replenish  the  exchequer,  while  the  rest  of  the  party 
crossed  to  Mindoro  and  awaited  my  return  at  Calapan, 
the  capital  of  the  island. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 

Mindoro  is  an  island  of  some  4500  square  miles. 
It  lies  directly  south  of  Manila  Bay,  and  its  capital, 
Calapan,  is  distant  about  a hundred  and  twenty  miles 
from  Manila.  Nowhere  in  the  northern  Philippines 
is  there  an  island  so  little  known,  or  one  so  universally 
avoided  by  white  men.  The  natives  frequently  refer 
to  it  significantly  as  the  “ white  man’s  grave.”  At 
the  present  time  it  is  celebrated  chiefly  for  the  un- 
savoury reputation  of  its  people,  the  heaviness  of  its 
rainfall,  and  the  deadliness  of  the  miasma  in  its  fever- 
smitten  lowlands. 

There  was  a time  when  Mindoro  was  famous  for 
other  things.  So  much  rice  was  formerly  raised  along 
the  coast  as  to  cause  the  island  to  be  named  “ the 
granary  of  the  Philippines,”  and  the  population  of  the 
numerous  coast  villages  seems  to  have  consisted  chiefly 
of  peaceable,  law-abiding  Tagalogs.  All  this  has  long 
since  been  changed.  The  prosperity  of  the  civilized 
natives  served  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Moros, 
who  repeatedly  raided  their  towns,  rapidly  thinning  the 
population.  An  epidemic  attacked  the  buffaloes,  nearly 

362 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


363 


exterminating  them,  and  leaving  the  natives  without 
means  of  tilling  their  land;  and  cholera  did  the  rest. 

To-day  the  once  rich  fields  have  for  the  most  part 
grown  up  to  forest  land,  and  the  island  is  a rendezvous 
for  desperate  criminals,  who  escape  from  the  neighbour- 
ing provinces  and  seek  refuge  in  Mindoro,  well  know- 
ing that  if  they  once  reach  the  forest  there  they  are 
safe  from  pursuit. 

The  few  poverty-stricken  villages  on  the  east  coast 
are  supposed  to  be  under  Spanish  protection  and  con- 
trol. How  much  that  protection  amounts  to  I shah 
attempt  to  show  later.  There  are  villages  on  the  west 
coast  also.  White  men  who  value  their  lives  do  not 
often  visit  them. 

In  the  interior  of  the  island  are  a number  of  lofty 
mountains,  the  highest  peak  attaining  an  altitude  of 
8865  feet.  These  mountains  and  the  adjacent  lowlands 
are  clothed  in  magnificent  forest  which  the  hand  of 
man  has  never  disturbed.  Under  the  shadows  of  its 
mighty  trees  dwell  a race  of  primitive  savages,  the 
Mangyans.  They  bear  a very  bad  reputation,  which 
is  whollv  undeserved. 

Between  the  mountains  and  the  west  coast  are  ex- 
tensive plains,  covered  with  high  grass.  East  of  the 
mountains  are  heavily  timbered  lowlands,  crossed  by 
numerous  rivers.  The  surface  details  given  in  the 
best  charts  are  wholly  unreliable,  and  such  large  rivers 
as  the  Baco  are  left  out  altogether. 


364  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  rainfall  is  enormous.  There  are  no  statistics 
available,  but  it  rains  heavily  during  nine  months  of 
the  year,  and  not  infrequently  during  the  other  three, 
as  I have  learned  to  my  sorrow.  Exploration  in  the 
interior  can  be  carried  on  only  at  the  height  of  the 
dry  season,  in  March,  April,  and  May. 

There  is  no  anchorage  at  Calapan,  and  the  surf  runs 
so  heavily  during  October,  November,  and  December 
that  steamers  are  often  forced  to  carry  the  mails  by. 

The  only  Europeans  in  the  island  outside  of  Calapan 
are  a half-dozen  friars,  and  at  the  capital  there  are 
only  the  necessary  officials,  and  one  or  two  shopkeepers 
who  are  too  poor  to  get  away. 

On  our  first  trip  to  the  Philippines  we  purposely  put 
Mindoro  last  on  our  list  of  islands  to  be  visited,  know- 
ing that  if  we  were  fortunate  enough  to  escape  the 
tulisanes  we  should  still  get  the  fever,  and  wishing  to 
be  able  to  start  for  home  at  once  should  it  seriously 
disable  us. 

We  had  been  tempted  to  visit  the  island  by  stories 
of  a strange  animal  called  the  “ timarau ,”  which  was 
said  to  abound  in  the  interior.  No  two  descriptions 
of  the  creature  seemed  to  agree.  One  man  solemnly 
assured  us  that  it  had  but  one  horn,  which  grew  from 
the  top  of  its  head.  Another  was  in  some  doubt  as 
to  its  horns,  but  was  positive  that  it  possessed  only  one 
eye,  which  was  situated  in  the  middle  of  its  forehead. 

Now,  while  we  did  not  expect  to  discover  a unicorn 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


365 


or  a cyclops,  we  did  feel  reasonably  sure  that  there 
must  be  some  foundation  for  all  these  improbable 
tales,  and  we  had  determined  to  have  a timarau , if 
such  a thing  existed,  in  spite  of  the  climate  and  the 
people. 

Mindoro  was  in  full  view  from  our  headquarters  in 
Marinduque,  and  what  we  saw  of  it  at  a distance  was 
not  altogether  reassuring.  No  rain  had  fallen  for  weeks 
in  the  latter  island.  The  ground  was  parched  until  one 
could  thrust  a hand  into  the  cracks,  but  just  across  the 
channel  we  saw  the  storm-clouds  gather  and  burst  day 
after  day. 

Mindoro  had  a sort  of  fascination  for  us.  Every 

afternoon,  after  our  work  was  done,  Bourns  and  I used 

to  lie  on  the  beach,  with  our  eyes  fixed  on  those 

towering  mountains  and  mighty  forests,  and  wonder 

% 

what  they  had  in  store  for  us. 

The  danger  from  tulisanes  was  brought  home  to  us 
by  the  sad  fate  of  the  brother  of  one  of  our  Spanish 
acquaintances,  who  had  gone  a few  weeks  before,  in 
company  with  two  other  Spaniards,  to  try  to  save 
wreckage  from  a stranded  ship.  The  three  men  had 
been  caught  off  their  guard,  and  our  friend’s  brother 
and  one  of  his  companions  had  been  decapitated. 

It  was  not  altogether  without  apprehension  that  we 
finally  faced  the  music,  but  we  had  no  thought  of 
backing  out,  and  in  due  time  we  found  ourselves  at 
Calapan.  When  actually  on  the  ground,  we  felt  better. 


366 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  dangers  did  not  seem  half  so  real  as  they  had 
when  we  were  in  Marinduque.  We  could  get  little 
information  in  regard  to  conditions  in  the  interior, 
but  what  we  did  get  was  not  reassuring.  There  were 
no  roads,  and  we  must  make  our  way  up  one  of  the 


A GROUP  OF  M ANGVANS  AND  THEIR  HOUSE  — MT.  HALCON,  MINDORO 


rivers  in  canoes.  If  we  escaped  the  tulisanes,  we 
should  encounter  a tribe  of  head-hunting  savages,  who 
ate  the  bodies  of  their  victims,  and  had  other  equally 
cheerful  customs.  If  we  managed  to  retain  possession 
of  our  heads,  there  was  still  the  fever,  which  no  white 
man  might  hope  to  escape  if  he  once  entered  the  forest. 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


367 


Moseley  decided  to  go  home,  and  left  us.  Our  party 
was  now  reduced  to  four,  and  in  order  to  cover  more 
ground,  it  was  decided  that  Dr.  Steere  and  Mateo 
should  go  up  the  Baco  River,  while  Bourns  and  I 
tried  the  Adlobang,  at  the  mouth  of  which  there  was 
said  to  be  a town  called  Naujan. 

Upon  inquiry,  we  learned  that  the  most  influential 
man  in  this  town  was  a Capitan  Valeriano,  who  was 
strongly  suspected  of  being  in  league  with  the  tuli- 
sanes  of  the  vicinity,  some  of  whom  were  believed 
to  live  in  Naujan  itself.  The  Capitan  was  naturally 
not  in  favour  with  the  authorities,  and  we  found  diffi- 
culty in  discovering  any  one  who  would  confess  to 
being  acquainted  with  him.  Eventually,  however,  we 
learned  that  he  had  a relative  in  Calapan,  and  having 
won  the  good  graces  of  this  man,  we  succeeded  in  per- 
suading him  to  give  us  a note  of  introduction.  He 
informed  us,  rather  significantly,  that  if  the  Capitan 
befriended  us,  we  should  have  no  trouble  with  ttilisanes. 
If  not,  he  advised  us  not  to  use  Naujan  as  a base  of 
operations. 

Hastily  getting  together  the  necessary  outfit  for  the 
trip,  we  hired  a large  sail-boat,  and  set  off  down  the 
coast.  When  we  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Adlobang 
River,  there  was  no  Naujan  there.  The  inhabitants 
had  abandoned  their  old  town,  moved  several  miles 
inland,  and  built  another.  This  was  a rather  suspicious 
circumstance,  but  we  had  gone  too  far  to  turn  back. 


368 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


To  reach  our  destination,  we  had  to  transfer  our  belong- 
ings  to  canoes,  and  paddle  up  a narrow  stream.  There 
were  scores  of  places  where  a lance  would  readily  carry 
from  bank  to  bank,  and  we  thought  with  some  appre- 
hension of  our  return  trip,  in  case  the  Capitan  failed 
to  receive  us  with  enthusiasm. 

On  reaching  the  town,  we  inquired  for  his  house, 
and  were  directed  to  a rather  pretentious  structure. 
We  asked  for  him,  and  he  soon  appeared.  His 
head  was  swathed  in  rags  until  one  could  hardly 
make  out  where  his  face  was.  He  seemed  to  be  in 
pain,  and  was  evidently  not  in  an  amiable  mood.  We 
bade  him  good-day,  and  presented  our  letter.  He  read 
it,  grunted  contemptuously,  and  then  calmly  stared  at 
us  without  uttering  a word.  The  silence  grew  embar- 
rassing, and  by  way  of  diversion,  we  asked  him  what 
was  the  matter  with  his  head.  Without  replying  to 
our  question,  he  inquired  if  we  thought  we  could  cure 
him.  We  gravely  assured  him  that  we  were  justly 
celebrated  for  our  medical  skill,  and  he  unbent  suffi- 
ciently to  invite  us  in  and  order  supper. 

Things  promised  well  for  the  moment,  but  the 
Capitan  was  not  disposed  to  waste  time.  He  wanted 
to  be  cured  at  once!  We  directed  him  to  remove  his 
head-gear,  and  he  did  so,  disclosing  a badly  swollen  face. 
He  was  evidently  suffering  intensely  from  neuralgia. 

Experience  had  taught  us  that  mild  and  pleasant 
remedies  were  not  appreciated  by  the  natives.  We 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


369 


had  with  us  some  gum-camphor  and  a small  supply 
of  ninety-six  per  cent  alcohol,  and  we  proceeded  to 
saturate  the  latter  with  the  former.  We  then  carefully 
shampooed  the  unfortunate  man  with  this  powerful 
mixture,  taking  especial  pains  to  get  it  into  his  eyes, 
nose,  and  mouth,  in  order  that  he  might  not  fail  to 
note  that  we  were  using  strong  medicine. 

He  seemed  so  favourably  impressed  by  our  treatment 
that  we  eventually  turned  our  extemporized  liniment 
over  to  him,  and  told  him  to  apply  it  himself  until  seven 
o’clock  (it  was  then  about  five),  if  he  wished  to  get  the 
full  effect.  In  due  time  supper  was  served,  and  after  sat- 
isfying our  hunger  we  gave  the  Capitan  a dose  of  laud- 
anum calculated  to  insure  him  a night  of  unbroken  repose. 
As  soon  as  he  was  sound  asleep  we  turne.d  in  ourselves. 

When  the  Capitan  appeared  the  next  morning,  we 
hardly  recognized  him.  Whether  from  the  bursting  of 
an  abscess  or  from  some  other  cause,  his  face  had 
resumed  its  normal  proportions.  The  pain  was  gone, 
and  the  man  was  so  delighted  that  he  could  hardly  find 
words  to  express  himself.  He  evidently  regarded  the 
cure  as  little  short  of  miraculous,  and  immediately  put 
himself  and  all  his  belongings  at  our  disposal. 

We  now  explained  to  him  our  desire  to  start  at  once 
for  the  interior  of  the  island.  He  promptly  offered  to 
provide  the  necessary  animals  and  accompany  us,  ex- 
plaining that  it  would  be  impossible  to  go  up  the  river 
in  boats,  as  we  had  hoped  to  do.  We  told  him  what  we 


370 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


had  heard  about  lack  of  paths.  He  smiled  significantly, 
and  advised  us  to  wait  and  see. 

It  was  agreed  that  we  should  get  off  immediately 
after  breakfast,  but  the  fates  had  decreed  otherwise. 
The  fame  of  the  cure  we  had  wrought  on  the  Capitan 
had  spread  with  wonderful  rapidity,  and  the  lame,  the 
halt,  the  sick,  and  the  blind  began  to  pour  in  on  us, 
beseeching  us  for  help.  We  could  not  get  away 
from  them.  I venture  to  say  that  no  two  young  men 
ever  built  up  a large  medical  practice  more  rapidly. 

Most  of  our  patients  complained  of  dolor  de  estomago 
(stomach-ache),  or  calentura  con  frio  (fever  and  chills), 
and  we  dealt  out  Jamaica  ginger  and  quinine  with  a 
liberal  hand.  The  quinine  proved  most  effective  when 
stirred  up  in  a large  glass  of  water  and  taken  slowly. 
The  first  dose  invariably  cured.  The  ginger  we  gave 
undiluted,  and  its  action  was  quite  prompt. 

Many  a time  that  day  we  longed  for  real  medical  or 
surgical  skill.  Several  pathetic  incidents  occurred.  An 
old  woman,  totally  blind  from  cataract,  besought  us  to 
restore  her  sight.  As  gently  as  we  could  we  explained 
to  her  that  her  trouble  could  not  be  cured  by  medicine, 
but  demanded  the  knife.  “ Cut  then,  senores  ! ” “But 
we  have  no  suitable  knives.”  “You  have  said  that  you 
come  to  skin  birds?”  “Yes.”  “Where  then  are  the 
knives  that  you  skin  birds  with?”  In  vain  we  assured 
her  that  our  knives  would  not  do,  and  that  we  lacked 
the  skill  to  use  them  even  had  they  been  suitable.  She 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


371 


was  firmly-  convinced  that  we  could  cure  her  if  we  chose, 
and  went  away  weeping.  Two  hours  later  she  returned, 
carrying  an  old  cloth  bag,  from  which  she  shook  out 
thirteen  big  copper  pennies,  her  entire  savings.  All  of 
this  wealth  she  offered  to  us,  if  we  would  only  restore 
her  sight. 

During  the  day  a number  of  people  presented  them- 
selves with  ailments  which  were  quite  beyond  our  skill. 
Total  blindness  was  common.  We  had  one  case  of 
palsy,  one  of  leprosy,  and  a varied  assortment  of  loath- 
some skin  diseases. 

At  ten  that  night  patients  were  still  arriving,  but  we 
called  a halt,  and  turned  in.  The  next  morning  we 
were  obliged  to  continue  our  clinic,  and  were  able  to 
save  a small  boy  the  use  of  his  right  arm.  He  had  been 
brought  to  us  the  day  before,  with  the  injured  member 
so  badly  swollen  that  we  could  not  make  out  whether  it 
was  broken,  or  dislocated  at  the  elbow.  We  ordered  it 
kept  cool  over  night,  with  water  and  banana  leaves,  and 
rubbed  with  camphor,  and  when  our  patient  was  brought 
back  to  us  the  swelling  was  sufficiently  reduced  for  us 
to  ascertain  that  the  arm  was  out  of  joint.  We  had 
great  difficulty  in  getting  it  into  place,  and  when  we 
succeeded  it  would  not  stay,  but  we  eventually  rigged 
a splint  that  held  it.  Nothing  had  been  done  for  the 
child  until  our  arrival,  although  the  accident  had  oc- 
curred ten  days  before. 

Our  clumsy  efforts  must  have  caused  him  intense 


372 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


pain,  but  he  did  not  so  much  as  whimper.  His 
father  was  so  happy  over  the  result  that  he  furnished 
us  buffaloes  for  our  trip  inland,  and  accompanied  us 
himself. 

On  the  third  day  after  our  arrival  we  got  away.  We 
were  to  go  on  horseback,  and  our  belongings  were  to 
follow  on  buffalo-sledges.  The  Capitan  was  the  owner 
of  a number  of  half-wild  ponies,  which  were  allowed  to 
wander  at  will  over  the  grassy  plains  near  the  town. 
If  he  wanted  one  he  caught  it  provided  he  could,  rode 
it  unmercifully,  and  when  through  with  it  jerked  off 
saddle  and  bridle,  gave  it  a kick,  and  let  it  go. 

In  due  time  our  ponies  were  brought  around.  The 
first  one  that  I mounted  absolutely  declined  to  start. 
Another  was  secured,  but  the  crowd  of  men  and 
small  boys  which  accompanied  him  led  me  to  suspect 
that  he  too  might  be  tricky.  The  saddle  with  which 
he  was  provided  consisted  of  a piece  of  burlap,  with  rope 
girths.  Stirrups  were  attached  by  other  ropes  so  short 
as  to  bring  one’s  knees  level  with  the  pony’s  back,  while 
the  bridle  consisted  of  a stout  cord  tied  around  his 
lower  jaw. 

I had  suspicions  that  this  rather  primitive  outfit 
might  prove  unsatisfactory  if  the  horse  turned  out  to 
be  ugly,  but,  affecting  an  indifference  which  I did  not 
feel,  I sprang  to  my  place  and  clucked  to  my  steed. 
He  declined  to  budge.  A number  of  men  and  boys 
assailed  him  behind  with  rattans,  but  the  only  effect 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


373 


was  to  cause  him  to  jump  into  the  air  and  come  down 
stiff-legged,  with  his  nose  between  his  fore  feet.  My 
assistants  stopped  for  breath,  when  without  the  slightest 
warning  the  brute  bolted  under  a neighbouring  house. 
The  floor  was  just  far  enough  above  the  ground  to 
scrape  his  back,  and  I dismounted  over  his  tail  with 
great  promptness,  to  the  intense  delight  of  a large  and 
appreciative  audience.  Fortunately  my  feet  cleared  the 
stirrups,  and  I received  no  serious  injury  except  to  my 
dignity. 

The  Capitan  wanted  to  get  me  yet  another  horse,  but 
I had  decided  to  ride  that  one.  He  was  accordingly 
caught  and  brought  back.  Providing  myself  with  a 
good  rattan,  I mounted  again.  He  tried  to  scrape  me 
off  a second  time,  but  made  a failure  of  it.  Then  he 
backed  me  through  a bamboo  fence,  much  to  the  det- 
riment of  my  shins,  and  continued  to  back  until  he 
brought  up  in  a very  thorny  bush.  This  evidently 
surprised  him.  He  made  a dash  for  the  street,  and 
started  down  it  at  his  best  pace.  Pigs,  chickens,  and 
children  scattered  in  wild  alarm  before  us,  and  the 
shouts  of  my  admiring  audience  grew  rapidly  fainter. 
For  two  miles  we  covered  ground  at  an  astonishing 
rate,  the  pony  trying  a variety  of  tricks  to  unseat  me. 
funding  that  I was  on  his  back  to  stay,  he  finally 
quieted  down. 

The  remainder  of  the  party  soon  overtook  me,  and 
we  pushed  rapidly  across  a wide  grassy  plain  to  the 


374  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


forest,  which  we  entered  along  a rough  and  slippery 
path.  Here  the  good  qualities  of  our  mounts  came 
out.  They  were  as  sure-footed  as  mules.  Many  of 
the  streams  which  we  encountered  had  very  steep 
banks.  In  crossing  them  the  ponies  slid  down  places 
which  no  civilized  horse  would  have  attempted  to 
descend,  waded  or  swam  the  streams,  and  scrambled 
up  the  seemingly  impossible  ascent  on  the  other  side 
while  we  clung  desperately  to  their  necks  to  maintain 
our  seats. 

At  last  we  came  to  a ten-acre  patch  of  felled  timber. 
We  could  not  get  around  it,  and  it  looked  as  if  we 
should  be  obliged  to  continue  our  journey  on  foot,  but 
the  Capitan  rode  on  unconcernedly,  and  we  followed. 
Our  horses  slumped  through  brush  piles  as  calmly  as 
if  they  liked  it.  Their  method  of  taking  tree-trunks 
was  a new  one  to  me.  They  did  not  attempt  to  leap 
clear,  but  lifted  their  front  legs,  came  down  on  the 
trunk,  balanced  a moment,  got  their  fore  feet  on  the 
ground,  and  dragged  their  hind  legs  after  them  as  best 
they  could.  They  took  their  work  without  a sign  of 
irritation,  and  we  got  through  the  tangle  without  once 
dismounting. 

All  day  we  pushed  on.  Nightfall  found  us  far  in- 
land on  the  border  of  the  Mangyan  territory.  We 
established  our  headquarters  in  the  tiny  hut  of  a 
Tagalog  wood-cutter.  It  was  so  small  that  our  two 
hammocks  filled  it,  and  when  we  got  into  them  we 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


375 


pulled  the  house  down.  It  was  hastily  repaired,  and  we 
slept  on  the  floor  that  night,  waiting  until  the  frame  had 
been  strengthened  before  we  again  ventured  to  put  up 
our  hammocks. 

On  the  following  morning  we  started  out  to  explore, 
and  had  not  gone  a mile  when  we  struck  a settlement 
of  Mangyans.  Our  surprise  at  their  appearance  was 
evidently  fully  reciprocated.  The  men  were  naked  ex- 
cept for  clouts,  but  to  this  we  were  accustomed.  What 
astonished  us  was  the  remarkable  dress  of  the  women, 
which  was  wholly  different  from  anything  we  had  ever 
seen.  Coiled  around  the  waist  and  hips,  the  married 
women  wore  a great  mass  of  cord,  made  by  braiding  nar- 
row strips  of  rattan  together.  This  remarkable  skirt,  if 
I may  dignify  it  by  that  name,  supported  a bark  clout. 
Except  for  these  two  articles  of  dress,  nothing  was  worn 
save  a few  simple  ornaments  made  entirely  from  vege- 
table materials.  (See  page  376.) 

Unmarried  girls  covered  the  breasts  with  peels  from 
one  of  the  plantain  plants,  ornamented  with  very  fine 
braided  cords  of  split  rattan  or  some  other  similar  sub- 
stance. The  remainder  of  their  costume  was  like  that 
of  the  married  women.  (See  page  379.)  The  children 
were  naked,  except  that  the  little  girls  wore  a strand 
or  two  of  the  rattan  cord  around  their  waists. 

This  curious  skirt  is  the  Mangyan  woman’s  most 
treasured  possession.  The  cord  is  usually  stained  black, 
although  a kind  woven  in  alternating  black  and  yellow 


376 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


checks  is  more  highly  prized.  Beginning  with  only  two 
or  three  coils  of  it  in  childhood,  they  add  to  it  from  time 


MARRIED  MANGVAN  WOMAN,  SHOWING  TYPICAL  DRESS  — MT.  HALCON, 

MINDORO 

to  time  as  opportunity  offers,  until  their  appearance  be- 
comes decidedly  grotesque. 

During  th^  dry  season  Mangyans  often  have  no  per- 
manent shelter,  but  wander  through  the  woods  by  day, 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


377 


sleeping  wherever  night  overtakes  them,  with  no  other 
roof  than  they  can  extemporize  by  binding  a few  rattan 
or  palm  leaves  together  and  throwing  them  over  a 
framework  of  poles  (see  page  383),  or  sticking  their 
butts  into  the  ground  so  as  to  give  them  a slight 
inclination.  Now,  however,  the  rainy  season  was  at 
hand,  and  we  found  several  families  herding  together 
on  a platform  of  poles,  protected  by  a rude  roof  of 
rattan  leaves.  Their  only  utensils  were  a few  earthen 
pots ; their  only  weapons,  rude  iron  machetes. 

Here  then  were  the  dreaded  head-hunters  and  can- 
nibals, of  whom  we  had  heard  such  alarming  reports. 
We  kept  a sharp  eye  on  them  at  first,  but  our  pre- 
cautions were  entirely  needless.  They  were  as  harmless 
as  children.  They  were  far  more  afraid  of  us  than  we 
were  of  them,  but  after  we  had  won  their  confidence 
they  furnished  us  endless  amusement. 

It  proved  a simple  matter  to  entertain  them.  We 
extemporized  rattles  for  the  women,  by  putting  a few 
shot  in  some  of  our  old  metal  cap-boxes.  They  would 
play  with  them  by  the  hour,  shaking  them  and  laughing 
as  contentedly  as  so  many  babies. 

We  gave  one  of  the  men  a hand-mirror.  He  did 
not  recognize  his  own  reflection,  but  acted  precisely 
as  I have  seen  the  Philippine  monkeys  do  under  similar 
circumstances.  He  first  looked  into  the  mirror,  and 
then  looked  behind  it,  in  order  to  get  a better  view 
of  the  strange  individual  who  peered  back  at  him. 


378 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


After  two  or  three  failures  to  locate  the  other  fellow 
by  this  method,  he  snatched  the  mirror  suddenly  from 
before  his  eyes,  so  that  the  stranger  might  not  have 
opportunity  to  hide.  Finally,  holding  the  glass  close 
to  his  face,  he  reached  behind  it,  and  tried  to  lay  hold 
of  the  mysterious  man  who  seemed  to  be  so  near. 
When  this  expedient  failed,  he  threw  the  mirror  down 
in  disgust. 

On  our  two  subsequent  visits  to  Mindoro  we  pene- 
trated further  into  the  interior  and  lived  among  the 
Mangyans  for  months,  learning  much  of  their  curious 
ceremonies,  customs,  and  laws,  and  watching  their  habits 
closely,  and  I shall  therefore  defer  further  description 
of  them  for  the  following  chapter. 

Our  interest  in  them  did  not  lead  us  to  forget  the 
main  object  of  our  visit,  and  we  at  once  began 
to  hunt  for  the  (to  us)  half-mythical  timarau.  The 
Mangyans  knew  it  well.  The  account  which  they 
gave  of  it  sounded  reasonable,  and  ultimately  proved 
correct.  They  said  it  was  like  a small  buffalo,  with 
horns  running  upward  and  backward,  like  those  of  a 
goat.  They  added  that  it  was  very  shy  and  very 
vicious,  that  it  attacked  and  killed  the  much  larger 
water-buffalo  when  opportunity  offered,  and  that  it  did 
not  hesitate  to  charge  a man  if  encountered  at  close 
quarters. 

The  water  in  the  river  was  very  low,  and  we  found 
plenty  of  timarau  trails  in  its  partially  dry  bed.  At 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


379 


first  we  tried  still-hunting,  but  without  success.  Then 
we  followed  the  trails  for  hours,  without  ever  catching 
sight  of  the  beasts  that  made  them.  We  procured 
Mangyan  guides  and  crawled  through  the  dense  jungle 
to  the  places  where  timarau  were  supposed  to  bathe 


UNMARRIED  MANGYAN  GIRLS,  SHOWING  TYPICAL  DRESS  — MT.  HALCON. 

MINDORO 

or  sleep,  but  they  were  never  at  home.  We  found 
that  the  bulls  were  in  the  habit  of  coming  out  on  the 
sand-bars  at  night  to  settle  their  private  differences, 
and  in  the  full  of  the  moon  we  watched  for  them  all 
night  long,  but  they  were  too  sharp  for  us. 


380 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Meanwhile  the  food  problem  was  becoming  serious. 
Edible  birds  were  scarce.  We  had  no  canned  pro- 
visions, and  were  forced  to  live  on  boiled  rice  and  wild 
honey.  Finally  we  decided  to  retreat  to  Naujan,  and 
make  a fresh  start. 

We  learned  from  the  Mangyans  that  nearer  the  coast 
there  was  a lake,  named  after  the  town  of  Naujan,  and 
they  described  it  as  a veritable  hunter’s  paradise.  If 
our  informants  were  to  be  believed,  there  were  strange 
birds  there,  with  tails  like  fighting  cocks,  which  swam 
in  the  water;  kaseelces  (snake-birds)  were  abundant; 
crocodiles  swarmed  in  the  lake,  and  timarau  were 
plenty  along  its  shores. 

Capitan  Valeriano  confirmed  all  that  we  had  heard 
of  the  Laguna  de  Naujan,  but  shook  his  head  and 
looked  very  serious  when  we  told  him  we  were  going 
to  visit  it.  He  said  that  the  people  up  there  were  not 
very  hospitable,  and  might  not  care  to  have  strangers 
come  anions^  them.  We  found  out  later  what  we  sus- 

O 

pected  at  the  time ; namely,  that  it  was  a regular  ttili- 
san  rendezvous.  Finding  that  we  could  not  be  dis- 
suaded from  carrying  out  our  project,  the  Capitan 
insisted  on  accompanying  us. 

Naujan  Lake  empties  into  the  Adlobang  River  by 
a sluggish  stream,  in  which  a current  is  hardly  per- 
ceptible. In  fact,  if  the  Adlobang  rises  suddenly, 
it  often  happens  that  the  current  sets  back  into  the 
lake. 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


38i 


After  a wearisome  journey  on  horseback,  on  foot,  and 
by  canoe,  we  reached  our  destination.  I shall  not  soon 
forget  the  sight  that  met  our  eyes  as  we  passed  out  of 
the  river  into  the  lake.  A huge  crocodile  swam  across 
our  bows,  not  fifty  feet  away.  On  the  black  mud  banks 
which  bordered  the  shores  were  gathered  such  an  assem- 
blage of  wading  birds  as  we  had  never  seen  before. 
There  were  scores  of  snake-birds  in  sight,  some  of  them 
swimming  in  the  water,  with  only  their  heads  and  long 
writhing  necks  showing;  others  perched  on  convenient 
stumps,  and  drying  themselves,  with  wings  spread  and 
backs  turned  toward  the  sun ; while  high  above,  seem- 
ingly among  the  very  clouds,  a flock  of  them  soared  in 
endless  circles. 

What  most  surprised  us  was  that  the  gallos  de  agua 
(water-cocks)  were  really  there.  Beautiful  lotus  plants 
spread  their  broad  leaves  over  the  shallows  along 
the  shore,  and  running  about  on  them  were  curious 
birds  with  long  tails,  which  took  to  the  water  at  our 
approach,  sinking  themselves  until  only  head  and  tail 
showed,  or  flew  away  with  strange  cries.  On  attempt- 
ing to  pick  up  a male  bird  that  I had  wounded,  I 
discovered  that  he  had  sharp  spurs  on  his  wings,  which 
he  used  with  effect. 

There  were  great  flocks  of  ducks  in  the  small  bays, 
and  all  the  birds  were  stupidly  tame.  They  had  evi- 
dently never  heard  a gun. 

The  lake  itself  was  some  ten  miles  lon^  and  six  wide. 

O 


382 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Its  waters  were  very  warm,  and  almost  stagnant.  The 
Capitan  told  us  that  sharks  ran  up  from  the  sea  during 
the  rainy  season,  and  could  not  make  their  way  over  the 
bar  and  into  the  Adlobang  again  after  the  floods  were 
over,  so  that  they  were  forced  to  remain  in  the  lake. 
This  proved  to  be  true.  Later  on  we  ourselves  repeat- 
edly saw  large  sharks. 

As  we  skirted  the  shore,  I wondered  at  the  apparent 
absence  of  houses;  but  when  I mentioned  the  matter  to 
the  Capitan,  he  only  smiled.  Later  we  found  that  there 
were  plenty  of  them,  but  they  were  so  cleverly  con- 
cealed that  not  one  showed  from  the  lake,  nor  were 
there  any  paths  through  the  rushes  near  them.  Their 
occupants  seemed  to  be  of  a very  retiring  disposition, 
and  were  careful  not  to  drag  a canoe  ashore  twice  in 
the  same  place. 

The  Capitan  told  us  that  we  wrere  to  stop  with  a 
friend  of  his,  who  would  be  delighted  to  see  us  ; but 
when  we  drew  near  the  house  of  this  gentleman,  took 
the  precaution  of  hiding  us  in  the  brush,  while  he  went 
forward  to  explain  matters. 

The  next  day  he  took  us  around  the  lake,  and  intro- 
duced us  to  each  of  our  neighbours,  never  failing  to  first 
hide  us  and  go  forward  alone.  Knowing  as  we  did  that 
most  of  these  people  were  fugitives  from  justice,  we  could 
not  help  wondering  what  lay  behind  the  influence  which 
the  Capitan  evidently  had  over  them.  Eventually  we 
found  out.  He  was  believed  to  possess  a charm,  by 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


383 


virtue  of  which  he  could  compel  any  one  whom  he  chose 
to  dance  until  he  died  of  hunger  and  exhaustion. 

Three  years  later  we  were  allowed,  as  a special  favour, 
to  see  this  charm,  which  proved  to  be  a little  bronze 
image.  Whether  or  not  the  Capitan  believed  in  it  him- 
self, we  could  not  make  out. 


TYPICAL  MANGYAN  HOUSES  — ADLOBANG  RIVER,  MINDORO 

We  went  to  work  at  once,  and  at  first  got  on  very 
well.  We  took  turn  and  turn  about,  each  of  us  hunting 
birds  one  day,  and  timarau  the  next.  Timarau  trails 
were  numerous,  and  we  several  times  got  near  enough 
to  the  creatures  themselves  to  hear  them  dash  off 
through  the  dense  underbrush ; but  we  discovered  that 


3§4 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


their  noses  were  very  keen,  and  their  ears  no  less  so. 
They  could  scent  us  at  an  almost  incredible  distance 
if  they  happened  to  be  down  the  wind,  and  the  cracking 
of  a dead  twig  often  meant  a morning’s  work  thrown 
away.  As  they  hid  during  the  day  in  the  densest 
tangles  they  could  find,  the  task  we  had  set  ourselves 
seemed  an  almost  impossible  one. 

As  we  gained  skill  by  experience,  however,  we  got 
nearer  and  nearer  them.  At  last,  one  dark,  cloudy 
afternoon,  my  tracker  and  I struck  the  fresh  trail  of 
a bull,  near  the  edge  of  the  lake.  We  had  no  difficulty 
in  following  it,  as  the  ground  was  soft,  and  it  grew 
fresher  every  minute.  The  tracker  began  to  get  ex- 
cited. We  came  to  a puddle,  in  which  muddy  currents, 
caused  by  the  timarau  s passage,  had  not  ceased  to 
spread,  and  I knew  that  my  game  was  within  a few 
yards  of  me. 

A fallen  tree  obstructed  the  path.  The  tracker  crept 
stealthily  over  it,  took  one  look,  and  scrabbled  hastily 
back,  his  face  gray  with  fear.  I had  known  from  the 
start  that  he  had  great  respect  for  a timarau.  In  fact, 
the  agreement  had  been  that  having  shown  me  one  he 
should  be  at  liberty  to  run.  He  now  availed  himself  of 
this  privilege,  pausing  only  to  point  hastily  into  the 
brush  and  whisper,  “ Timarau , senor!" 

Clambering  over  the  tree-trunk  with  all  possible  care, 
I stopped  in  my  tracks,  and  scanned  the  bushes  on  every 
side.  I knew  from  the  actions  of  my  guide  that  the 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


335 


timarau  must  be  in  sight,  but  it  seemed  hours  before 
I saw  him.  At  last  I made  out  his  head.  He  was  buried 
in  the  brush,  standing  side  on,  and  his  body  was  com- 
pletely hidden. 

How  many  of  my  readers  can  understand  the  excite- 
ment of  that  moment?  It  had  been  known  for  years 
that  there  was  a strange  animal  in  Mindoro,  and  we  had 
come  there  and  faced  savages,  tulisanes , and  fever,  in 
order  to  hunt  it  down.  For  weeks  we  had  crawled 
through  damp,  reeking  jungles,  torn  by  thorns,  bitten  by 
leeches,  and  stung  by  all  manner  of  insect  pests  until  we 
were  scarred  and  sore  from  head  to  foot,  and  during  all 
this  time  we  had  never  so  much  as  seen  the  animal  we 
were  seeking.  At  last  my  opportunity  had  come. 

The  timarau  was  within  fifty  feet  of  me,  quietly  chew- 
ing his  cud.  With  the  utmost  care  I aimed  for  his  eye, 
but  as  I was  in  the  very  act  of  pulling  the  trigger  the 
brute  caught  sight  of  me,  lowered  his  head  suddenly, 
and  I missed  him  clean.  For  an  instant  the  smoke  hid 
everything,  then  I caught  a glimpse  of  him  as  he  tore 
through  the  brush,  and  gave  him  a parting  shot.  As  I 
fired  the  second  time  there  came  crashes  in  the  jungle 
on  every  side  of  me.  I had  walked  into  a whole  herd  of 
timarau  without  knowing  it.  One  old  bull  stood  his 
ground.  I could  hear  him  blowing  and  stamping  as  he 
turned  round  and  round  in  the  brush,  trying  to  locate 
the  source  of  the  unusual  disturbance.  In  a moment  I 
caught  sight  of  him,  and  gave  him  a bullet  in  his 


386 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


shoulder.  Furious  with  pain,  he  whirled  and  faced  me, 
presenting  a perfect  head-shot. 

As  I pushed  the  sliding  block  of  my  Colt  rifle,  to  load 
again,  one  cartridge  slipped  into  the  carrier  and  one 
under  it,  blocking  the  mechanism,  and  leaving  me  to 
face  a wounded  bull  timarau  with  a useless  sun.  I 
thought  of  several  different  things  in  a very  short  time. 
Why  that  brute  did  not  charge  has  always  been  a 
mystery  to  me.  I never  afterward  knew  one  fail  to  do  it 
under  similar  circumstances.  What  he  did  do  was  to 
turn  tail  and  dash  madly  into  the  brush  after  the  herd. 

After  sitting  down  on  the  tree-trunk  and  making  a 
few  remarks,  I utilized  my  jack-knife  as  a screw-driver, 
and  fixed  my  rifle.  Then  I set  out  to  hunt  up  my 
tracker,  who  had  disappeared.  I eventually  located 
him  up  a tree,  from  which  he  at  first  emphatically 
declined  to  descend. 

I finally  got  him  to  come  down,  and  in  spite  of  his 
strenuous  objections  forced  him  to  take  the  trail  of  the 
wounded  bull.  We  soon  came  up  with  him,  but  failed 
to  get  a glimpse  of  him  as  he  ran.  He  had  been  lying 
down,  bleeding  from  side  and  nose.  My  bullet  had 
evidently  pierced  his  lungs.  We  started  him  a second 
and  yet  a third  time.  I did  not  believe  that  he  would 
get  up  again,  and  was  just  flattering  myself  that  we 
must  be  almost  on  him,  when  the  flood-gates  of  heaven 
were  opened,  and  the  rain  fell  in  torrents.  In  three 
minutes  every  trace  of  blood  was  washed  away,  and 


FIRST  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


387 


tracks  were  so  filled  with  water  that  one  could  not  tell 
a fresh  trail  from  one  a week  old. 

As  I crawled  back  to  the  house  that  night,  drenched 
to  the  bone,  my  clothing  in  tatters,  and  nothing  to  show 
for  it  all  except  a little  timarau  blood,  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  there  was  not  a more  disgusted  hunter  in  existence. 

The  next  day  we  scoured  the  jungle  for  miles  around 
the  scene  of  my  adventure,  looking  for  a dead  timarau , 
but  we  found  nothing.  The  rain  poured  down  all  day. 
Toward  evening  we  sent  for  Mangyans,  and  on  the 
following  day  hunted  the  ground  over  with  them. 
Again  it  rained  from  morning  till  night,  and  at  last 
we  reluctantly  abandoned  the  search. 

I never  quite  got  over  losing  those  timarau , and  it 
did  not  soothe  my  feelings  to  learn,  three  years  later, 
that  the  savages  continued  the  hunt  on  their  own 
account,  found  both  of  those  I had  shot  at  lying  stone- 
dead  ten  miles  from  the  place  where  they  were  wounded, 
and  kept  the  fact  to  themselves. 

For  fourteen  days  and  as  many  nights  the  rain  fell 
almost  without  interruption.  During  all  this  time  we 
never  saw  the  sun.  It  was  impossible  to  hunt.  Our 
provisions  having  been  exhausted  we  were  forced  to  live 
on  rice  and  mud-fish.  We  finally  gave  up,  and  made 
our  way  back  to  Calapan,  where  we  found  that  the 
monthly  mail-steamer  had  come  in  three  days  ahead 
of  time  and  that  the  other  members  of  our  party  had 
sailed  for  Manila. 


388 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


We  had  no  desire  to  remain  longer  in  Mindoro,  so 
we  attempted  to  cross  to  Luzon  in  a native  sail-boat. 
After  many  hardships  we  reached  Batangas,  and  got 
a Manila  steamer. 

Before  reaching  that  place,  I fell  ill  with  Mindoro 
fever.  We  found  Dr.  Steere  just  recovering  from  a 
fearful  attack  of  it,  but  he  had  secured  five  timarau , 
and  was  happy.  A few  days  later  Bourns  came  down. 
Neither  he  nor  I suffered  very  seriously  at  first,  but  for 
two  years  after  our  return  to  America  we  did  not  lack 
for  forcible  reminders  of  our  first  visit  to  Mindoro. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


SECOND  AND  THIRD  VISITS  TO  MINDORO 

Profiting  by  our  first  experience  in  Mindoro,  Bourns 
and  I planned  our  next  visit  to  that  island  so  that  it 
came  at  the  height  of  the  dry  season,  believing  that  we 
could  then  make  use  of  river  beds  as  highways  to  the 
interior,  and  thus  be  spared  the  necessity  of  forcing  our 
way  through  miles  of  damp,  fever-breeding  jungle. 

We  had  spent  some  time  in  Siquijor,  getting  our- 
selves into  the  best  possible  condition  for  facing  the 
hardships  which  we  knew  must  be  met,  and  it  was  a 
bitter  disappointment  to  us  when  Bourns  came  down 
with  a severe  attack  of  fever,  just  as  our  steamer 
anchored  in  front  of  Calapan. 

Our  ill-fortune  did  not  end  there,  however.  We  were 
sent  ashore  in  a boat  piled  so  high  with  baggage  and 
freight  that  it  could  not  be  rowed,  but  had  to  be  sculled. 
The  ship  was  anchored  a mile  out,  and  when  half-way 
to  the  beach  we  discovered  that  the  sailors  had  for- 
gotten to  plug  the  hole  intended  to  allow  rain-water  to 
drain  out  of  the  boat  when  hanging  at  its  davits,  and 
it  was  rapidly  filling  with  water.  For  a time  things 
looked  as  if  we  should  have  to  swim  for  it,  but  the 

389 


390 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


men  hastily  shifted  some  of  the  baggage,  and  luckily 
uncovered  the  leak,  which  was  plugged  just  in  time  to 
prevent  the  boat’s  sinking,  but  not  soon  enough  to  keep 
our  chests  from  getting  soaked. 

After  spending  our  first  night  in  the  tribunal , we 
were  fortunately  able  to  rent  a fine  new  house  close  to 
the  beach,  where  we  got  the  sea-breeze. 

It  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question  for  Bourns  to  go 
into  a malarial  region  with  the  fever  already  on  him, 
and  we  finally  decided  that  I should  leave  him  at 
Calapan  to  recover,  and  set  out  on  foot  for  a week’s 
rapid  scout,  in  the  hope  of  finding  just  the  right  place 
for  a permanent  camp. 

We  were  assured  that  a beginning  had  been  made 
toward  bringing  the  Mangyans  under  subjection,  and 
that  those  near  Calapan  recognized  the  authority  of  a 
certain  Tagalog  who  had  been  appointed  their  “ Capi- 
tan.”  The  governor  was  kind  enough  to  order  this 
man  to  accompany  me. 

We  had  arrived  just  at  the  beginning  of  Holy  Week, 
and,  of  course,  had  to  wait  until  the  following  Monday 
before  I could  start.  I took  with  me  the  lightest  pos- 
sible outfit,  consisting  of  food  enough  to  last  myself  and 
my  men  a week,  one  change  of  clothing,  a hammock,  a 
shotgun,  a heavy  rifle,  and  plenty  of  ammunition. 

I was  accompanied  by  the  Capitan  of  the  Mangyans, 
one  Tagalog  servant,  and  seven  carriers.  We  started 
with  much  eclat,  and  made  a sort  of  triumphal  march 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


39i 


through  the  town,  much  to  my  disgust.  My  carriers 
were  arrayed  in  their  best  clothes,  and  we  had  to  go 
to  the  house  of  each  man  and  wait  for  him  to  put  on 
his  working  costume.  The  Capitan,  who  carried  my 
rifle,  insisted  on  demonstrating  its  mechanism  to  every 
one  he  met.  Finally,  when  we  had  reached  the  out- 
skirts of  the  place  and  I thought  we  were  really  off, 
the  men  announced  that  they  had  not  breakfasted;  so 
I waited  two  hours  for  them  to  cook  and  eat. 

My  coolies  had  been  quite  sceptical  as  to  my  ability 
to  keep  up  with  them,  and  it  afforded  me  much  satis- 
faction to  set  them  a lively  pace.  Before  evening  they 
were  fully  convinced  that  the  “ cachila  ” could  walk. 
We  at  first  headed  straight  for  Mt.  Halcon,  but  after 
reaching  the  forest,  turned  south.  The  moist  earth 
swarmed  with  leeches,  which  crawled  through  my  stock- 
ings and  bit  my  ankles  until  my  shoes  were  soaked  with 
blood.  So  damp  and  foul-smelling  was  the  jungle 
through  which  we  passed  that  we  did  not  stop  for  dinner, 
but  pushed  on  until  five  o'clock,  when  we  came  out  on 
the  Nabotas  River.  Here  we  found  the  largest  number 
of  Mangyan  houses  I ever  saw  together.  There  were 
twelve  arranged  in  a semicircle,  with  a larger  one  in  the 
centre.  To  reach  this  little  village  we  had  to  cross  the 
stream  on  a bridge  which  did  not  look  attractive. 

It  consisted  of  three  thick  rattans,  so  arranged  that 
one  came  under  each  arm,  while  the  third  was  intended 
to  be  used  as  a foot-path.  Having  had  no  previous  ex- 


392 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


perience  as  a slack-wire  performer,  I regarded  this  novel 
device  with  some  suspicion ; but  after  my  men  had 
crossed  safely  I attempted  to  follow  them,  and  was  get- 
ting on  famously  when  the  whole  thing  gave  way,  pre- 
cipitating me  into  the  stream.  The  water  was  cold,  the 
current  swift,  and  crocodiles  were  presumably  numerous, 
but  I managed  to  swim  to  the  further  bank. 

The  village  was  deserted,  its  inhabitants  having  fled 
at  our  approach.  The  huts  were  of  the  usual  sort  — 
mere  platforms  of  poles,  with  shelters  of  leaves  above 
them.  I moved  into  the  largest  for  the  night,  but  it 
would  not  support  my  hammock,  so  I was  forced  to  lie 
on  the  floor.  My  Tagalog  carriers  refused  to  go  further, 
and  as  the  Capitan  felt  confident  that  he  could  get 
Mangyans  for  me,  I dismissed  them  the  next  morning. 
During  the  day  the  Capitan  found  some  of  the  men  who 
belonged  in  the  village  we  were  occupying,  and  after 
much  difficulty  persuaded  them  to  return  to  their  houses. 
They  were  delighted  with  the  things  I had  to  offer  in 
trade,  and  we  soon  became  great  friends. 

They  had  never  seen  a white  man,  and  insisted  on 
rolling  up  my  shirt-sleeves  and  the  legs  of  my  panta- 
loons, in  order  to  find  out  whether  I was  the  same  colour 
all  over.  Just  before  starting  I had  been  obliged  to  have 
my  head  shaved  clean,  as  an  attack  of  fever  some  weeks 
before  had  caused  my  hair  to  fall  out  badly.  My  beard 
had  not  been  trimmed  for  a long  time,  and  the  Mang- 
yans, who  were  not  accustomed  to  beards,  marvelled 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


393 


greatly  at  my  appearance,  and  finally  decided  that,  by 
some  mysterious  reversal  of  the  ordinary  processes  of 
nature,  the  hair  had  been  diverted  from  the  top  of  my 
head  to  the  bottom. 

They  readily  agreed  to  carry  my  things  one  day’s 
journey  for  me,  but  like  all  the  members  of  their  tribe, 
were  unwilling  to  go  more  than  that  distance  from  their 
women  and  children.  After  a twelve  hours’  tramp 
through  a foul  marshy  forest,  swarming  with  leeches  and 
mosquitoes,  I found  myself,  greatly  to  my  disgust,  at 
Adlobang,  the  place  we  had  visited  during  our  first 
stay  in  Mindoro.  The  Capitan  insisted  that  there  were 
plenty  of  timarau  there,  but  I knew  better ; so  he  went 
off  to  hunt  up  new  carriers,  while  I established  myself  in 
a Tagalog  wood-chopper's  hut,  payed  off  my  Mangyans, 
and  dismissed  them. 

After  a delay  of  thirty  hours  we  got  away  again,  start- 
ing at  three  in  the  morning,  and  using  the  dry  bed  of 
the  Adlobang  as  a highway.  In  places  it  was  half  a 
mile  wide,  and  although  rough  and  stony,  it  was  at  least 
free  from  leeches  and  other  forest  pests.  As  the  sun 
climbed  higher,  however,  the  heat  became  terrific.  I 
could  not  bear  my  hand  on  the  sand,  and  the  men  were 
forced  to  make  bark  sandals  for  their  feet.  All  day  we 
tramped  straight  toward  the  centre  of  the  island,  a fine 
mountain  range,  with  Mt.  Halcon  as  its  highest  peak, 
serving  us  for  an  objective  point.  Evening  found  us 
near  the  foot-hills,  and  here  we  camped. 


394 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


My  men  set  two  tripods  in  the  sand  for  my  hammock, 
and  fastened  three  sago-palm  leaves  over  it,  making  an 
excellent  shelter.  Their  own  wants  were  easily  satisfied. 
Each  of  them  tied  a couple  of  rattan  leaves  together  by 
their  butts,  and  stuck  them  into  the  ground  at  such  an 
angle  that  they  drooped  over  a little.  Under  these 
quickly  extemporized  roofs  they  squatted  contentedly 
on  their  heels,  eventually  falling  asleep  in  this  posi- 
tion. 

The  next  day  was  wasted  in  a vain  attempt  to  get 
new  carriers.  While  the  Capitan  was  hunting  for 
Mangyans,  I explored  the  neighbouring  country  and 
discovered  numerous  timarau  trails.  As  I was  near  the 
end  of  my  provisions,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  I 
should  get  on  as  promptly  as  possible,  and  when  the 
Capitan  came  in  without  men,  I finally  succeeded  in 
persuading  those  whom  I already  had  to  go  on  with  me, 
promising  them  a rich  reward.  I had  long  since  dis- 
covered that  the  Capitan’s  authority  was  purely  imagi- 
nary. He  was  of  value  to  me  only  because  he  quieted 
the  fears  of  the  savages,  and  brought  them  into  camp, 
where  I could  make  my  own  bargain  with  them. 

Again  we  started  long  before  daylight.  My  guide 
had  assured  me  that  we  were  near  the  head  waters  of 
the  Baco  River,  which  empties  north  of  Calapan.  I did 
not  believe  this,  but  it  proved  true.  The  bed  of  the 
upper  Baco  was  perfectly  dry,  and  we  made  rapid  prog- 
ress until  eleven,  as  our  path  was  completely  shaded 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


395 


by  green  trees,  and  there  were  few  stones  to  make  the 
tramping  hard.  As  the  river-bed  grew  wider,  however, 
the  sun  began  to  reach  us,  and  we  suffered  severely 
once  more  from  the  intense  heat.  My  men  were  obliged 
to  run  over  the  patches  of  burning  sand ; and  they 
dashed  into  the  pools  of  water,  which  we  now  occasion- 
ally found,  in  order  to  cool  their  scorched  feet. 

About  four  o’clock  we  reached  a place  called  Balete, 
where  some  Tagalogs  were  cutting  and  splitting  rat- 
tan. From  them  I learned  that  there  were  plenty  of 
timarau  and  wild  buffaloes  in  the  region,  and  I decided 
that  f had  struck  just  the  place  I was  looking  for, 
especially  as  it  could  be  reached  by  water.  Just  in 
front  of  the  shed  where  they  stored  their  jungle-rope, 
and  did  their  sleeping,  the  river  suddenly  appeared, 
flowing  out  of  the  sand  in  which  its  upper  waters 
were  buried.  I was  assured  by  the  Tagalogs  that  the 
trip  to  Baco  could  be  made  in  a banca , so  hired  them 
to  take  me  to  that  town,  after  paying  my  Mangyans, 
and  giving  them  my  last  cupful  of  rice. 

During  my  entire  trip  I had  been  forced  to  com- 
municate with  my  men  by  signs,  as  neither  the  Capitan 
nor  my  servant  understood  a dozen  words  of  Spanish. 
After  once  reaching  the  Mangyan  country,  I had  paid 
my  travelling  expenses  with  empty  sardine-boxes  and 
butter-cans,  a few  brass  rings,  a little  copper  wire,  some 
cheap  mirrors,  and  a small  amount  of  tobacco.  Further- 
more, I had  made  it  a principle  to  give  each  savage 


396 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


just  twice  what  he  asked  for  his  services,  and  had  left 
ardent  admirers  along  my  whole  line  of  march. 

We  got  off  without  delay  for  Baco,  and  our  little 
banca  was  swept  rapidly  onward  by  the  swift  current. 
At  sunset,  as  we  turned  a bend  in  the  stream,  I 
was  amazed  to  see  Bourns,  with  some  thirty  men,  just 
landing  on  a sand-bar.  It  was  a most  fortunate  meet- 
ing. He  had  recovered  from  his  fever,  and  hearing 
of  the  herd  of  wild  buffaloes  at  Balete,  had  started 
for  that  place  with  a camp  outfit,  provisions  for  six 
weeks,  and  a full  force  of  men,  including  a tracker. 
He  was  naturally  much  pleased  to  know  that  I had 
marked  the  very  spot  of  which  he  had  heard  as  an 
ideal  situation  for  our  permanent  camp. 

We  had  to  lie  on  the  ground  that  night,  for  the 
tangle  of  vegetation  on  the  river  banks  was  simply 
impenetrable,  and  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  camp 
on  the  bar.  A few  days  later  not  only  Bourns  and 
myself,  but  every  man  with  us,  came  down  with  fever 
within  a space  of  two  hours. 

Owing  to  the  swiftness  of  the  current,  it  took  us 
twelve  hours  to  make  the  distance  up-stream  which 
I had  covered  in  less  than  three  coming  down.  That 
night  we  slept  on  bundles  of  rattan  in  the  shed,  and 
the  following  day  set  our  men  to  building  a camp 
for  us  in  the  dry  river-bed.  The  structure  which  they 
erected  is  shown  on  the  opposite  page.  While  not  exactly 
commodious,  it  served  our  purpose,  and  for  six  weeks 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO  397 


we  had  no  other  habitation.  We  slept  in  hammocks 
and  sat  on  powder  boxes.  The  lid  of  a trunk  served 
us  for  a table.  Our  cooking-stove,  constructed  from 
a five-gallon  kerosene  tin,  may  be  seen  in  the  left 
foreground.  The  skull,  at  the  corner  of  the  house, 


OUR  CAMP  ON  THE  BACO  RIVER MINDORO 


belonged  to  a bull  buffalo  which  I killed  during  our 
stay.  Near  it  stands  one  of  the  broad-bladed  Tagalog 
paddles. 

Work  on  our  camp  was  interrupted  by  a heavy  rain, 
and  we  were  again  obliged  to  sleep  in  the  rattan  shed. 
The  next  afternoon,  too,  we  took  a siesta  there.  About 
four  Bourns  awoke,  and  started  out  to  give  the  men 


39§ 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


some  directions.  He  had  gone  but  a few  rods  when 
I was  amazed  to  see  him  stop,  make  a wild  grab  at 
his  trousers,  and  hang  on  while  with  his  free  hand  he 
proceeded  to  divest  himself  of  those  useful  garments 
with  astonishing  agility,  meanwhile  communing  with 
himself  in  tones  that  would  have  been  audible  at  a 
considerable  distance. 

Never  before  had  I seen  a man  get  out  of  his  panta- 
loons with  such  publicity  or  such  extraordinary  prompt- 
ness. The  scene  was  picturesque  in  the  extreme,  and 
I laughed  until  the  tears  came,  but  my  companion 
failed  to  see  the  fun.  While  he  slept  a scorpion  had 
crawled  up  the  leg  of  his  trousers,  and  when  it 
began  to  sting  he  had  but  one  ambition  in  life,  namely, 
to  get  out  of  them. 

As  soon  as  our  “ house  ” was  finished,  serious  work 
began.  Timarau  proved  abundant,  but  they  were  ter- 
ribly wild.  Our  guide  and  tracker  soon  showed  him- 
self both  incompetent  and  cowardly.  While  out  with 
me  he  lost  his  way,  and  I had  to  turn  guide  and  take 
him  back  to  camp.  He  tracked  fairly  well  until  he 
got  near  the  game,  but  then  his  fears  overcame  his 
judgment,  and  he  seemed  strongly  inclined  to  mistake 
an  olci  trail  for  a fresh  one.  He  was  too  dignified  to 
carry  in  the  hogs  that  we  killed,  and  we  finally  dis- 
missed him. 

A few  days  later  we  saw  a strange  figure  coming 
up-river  toward  our  camp.  It  proved  to  be  a dwarfish 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO  399 


old  man,  clad  only  in  a pair  of  short  pantaloons.  His 
toes  were  all  grown  together,  and  he  had  a bit  of  a 
moustache  — an  unusual  thing  for  a Tagalog.  On  his 
back  was  an  immense  basket  in  which  he  carried 
clothes  and  provisions.  He  was  armed  with  a lance, 
and  led  a nondescript  yellow  dog. 

In  broken  Spanish  he  introduced  himself  as  Poljensio 
Acibida,  and  explained  that  he  was  the  tracker  who 
had  helped  Dr.  Steere  and  Mateo  kill  timarau  on  our 
first  visit  to  Mindoro.  He  brought  us  a note  from  the 
schoolmaster  at  Baco  which  set  forth  the  fact  that  he 
was  honest,  and  described  him  as  the  best  “ practico" 
in  the  island. 

Poljensio  wanted  fifty  cents  a day  for  his  services, 
and  we  hesitated,  for  the  price  was  a most  unusual 
one.  We  had  never  before  paid  any  native  so  much. 
He  was  willing  to  work  for  three  days  without  pay, 
however,  just  to  show  us  what  he  could  do;  so  we 
told  him  to  go  ahead.  After  being  out  with  him  once, 
we  engaged  him  at  his  own  price.  Never  have  I seen 
such  a tracker.  He  would  follow  a trail  at  a rapid 
walk,  where  we  could  not  see  a scratch.  By  the  colour 
of  sap-wood  from  which  the  bark  had  been  knocked, 
or  by  the  appearance  of  grass  that  had  been  cropped, 
he  would  tell  with  astonishing  accuracy  how  long  it 
was  since  the  game  had  passed.  His  sense  of  direction 
was  a perpetual  source  of  amazement  to  us.  After 
following  a crooked  trail  for  hours  through  virgin 


400 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


forest,  he  would  invariably  take  a bee-line  for  camp. 
We  felt  greatly  encouraged  by  his  presence,  and  were 
sure  that  it  would  now  be  only  a question  of  time 
until  we  brought  down  a timarau.  Bourns  and  I took 


GROUP  OF  MANGYANS  — BACO  RIVER,  MINDORO 


the  trail  on  alternate  days,  the  man  who  was  not  hunt- 
ing big  game  giving  his  time  to  collecting  birds. 

Meanwhile,  a family  of  Mangyans  came  to  visit  us, 
and  we  secured  our  first  photograph  of  these  strange 
people.  (See  above.)  So  far  as  I know,  it  is  the  first 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO  401 


ever  obtained  by  any  one.  Our  visitors  were  a 
mother  with  her  daughter  and  two  sons.  The  old 
lady  was  the  wife  of  a headman,  and  her  rank 
was  indicated  by  a large  affair  like  a dog-collar  which 
she  wore  about  her  neck.  She- was  locally  famed  for 
the  possession  of  two  sleigh-bells,  which  had,  perhaps, 
come  ashore  in  wreckage  from  some  ship.  It  was  with 
the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  secured  a photograph  of 
this  interesting  family  group,  but  we  finally  succeeded 
in  overcoming  their  fears,  and  tempted  by  some  of  our 
cheap  jewellery,  they  stood  up  and  let  us  take  them. 

For  four  long  weeks  we  had  hunted  timarau  without 
success.  Our  knees  and  elbows  were  worn  raw  from 
crawling  through  the  jungle.  The  leeches  had  bled  us, 
the  tungau  had  burrowed  into  us,  and  the  ants  had 
stung  and  bitten  us  to  their  heart’s  content.  Again 
and  again  we  had  crept  up  within  a few  feet  of  some 
wily  old  bull,  when  the  snapping  of  a dry  stick,  or  a 
puff  of  wind  carrying  the  scent  in  a wrong  direction, 
had  alarmed  him,  and  he  had  torn  away  through  the 
dense  vegetation  without  giving  us  so  much  as  a 
glimpse  of  himself.  At  last,  however,  our  day  came. 

A fine  rain  had  put  the  ground  into  excellent  con- 
dition for  tracking.  It  was  my  turn  to  take  the  trail, 
and  I said  jokingly  to  Bourns  as  I started  that  we 
would  have  timarau  steak  for  supper.  Within  a hun- 
dred yards  of  camp  the  old  practico  struck  the  track  of 
a large  bull,  and  we  were  soon  crawling  on  all  fours 


402 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


through  a fearful  tangle,  or  worming  our  way,  stretched 
flat  on  the  ground.  The  work  was  terribly  hard,  and 
the  heat  most  trying,  but  from  start  to  finish  we  exer- 
cised the  utmost  care,  pushing  ahead  slowly  and  in 
absolute  silence. 

After  three  hours  of  trailing,  Poljensio  suddenly 
stopped,  and  looked  back  at  me,  his  face  working  with 
excitement.  I took  several  minutes  to  cover  the  short 
distance  that  separated  us,  and  not  so  much  as  a leaf 
rustled  under  me.  The  old  man  pointed  silently,  and 
looking  in  the  direction  indicated  I saw  an  indistinct 
black  mass  lying  on  the  ground.  Our  timarati  was 
asleep  within  forty  feet  of  us.  For  a long  time  I could 
not  make  out  which  end  of  him  was  which.  The  dense 
vegetation  shut  off  the  light  so  that  I could  not  see 
distinctly;  but  it  was  no  time  for  mistakes,  for  I 
was  so  bound  down  by  rattans  that  I could  not  stand 
erect  without  working  back  some  little  distance,  and  a 
wounded  timarau  has  an  uncomfortable  habit  of  charg- 
ing. A shot  through  the  brain  is  the  only  thing  that 
will  put  one  of  the  creatures  out  of  commission 
promptly. 

At  last  I thought  I made  out  his  head,  facing  directly 
toward  us,  and  taking  careful  aim,  I fired.  The  smoke 
settled  thickly  in  front  of  me,  so  that  I could  see 
nothing,  but  I heard  a tremendous  crashing  in  the 
brush,  and  backing  hastily  out  of  the  rattans  stood  up, 
expecting  every  instant  to  see  a pair  of  horns  coming 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


403 


through  the  smoke.  There  was  more  crashing  in  the 
bushes,  but  after  a moment  or  two  I thought  I heard 
the  timarau  fall.  Crawling  in  carefully,  I found  him 
lying  on  the  ground  with  blood  flowing  from  his  nos- 
trils ; and  stealing  up  within  ten  yards,  I sent  a bullet 
into  his  eye,  thinking  to  end  his  misery.  To  my  utter 


OUR  FIRST  TIMARAU  — BACO  RIVER,  MINDORO 

amazement  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  whirled  around,  and 
tore  off  through  the  brush,  disappearing  in  an  instant. 
I began  to  think  I had  been  shooting  at  a phantom 
timarau , but  a phantom  would  hardly  have  left  a bloody 
trail.  We  followed  on  warily,  and  not  forty  feet  away 
found  an  old  bull  stone-dead. 

It  took  us  some  time  to  cut  a path  through  to  the 


404 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


river,  and  get  back  to  camp.  Bourns  was  out  after 
birds,  but  I fired  a signal  that  brought  him  in.  Tak- 
ing our  gang  of  natives,  we  hurried  back  to  the  dead 
timarau , cleared  away  the  jungle,  and  obtained  the  first 
and  I believe  only  extant  photograph  of  this  rare  animal 
in  the  flesh,  although  others  have  been  taken  from 
mounted  specimens.  It  is  reproduced  on  page  403,  and 
if  the  reader  will  look  at  the  uncut  vegetation  back  of 
the  dead  bull,  and  will  remember  that  tangle  of  this  sort 
is  usually  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  high,  with  great  trees 
above  it  shutting  out  the  light,  he  will  perhaps  realize 
in  a measure  what  it  means  to  creep  up  on  one  of  the 
most  wary  of  quadrupeds  in  such  cover,  and  bring  him 
down.  But  no  one  who  has  not  actually  followed 
timarau  trails  in  vain,  day  after  day  and  week  after 
week,  can  fully  realize  my  feelings  when  my  first  bull 
lay  dead  at  my  feet. 

We  lost  no  time  in  skinning  him  and  cleaning  his 
skeleton,  and  bore  our  trophies  back  to  camp  in 
triumph.  Having  killed  one  timarau , we  hoped  soon 
to  get  more,  but  it  proved  the  same  old  story.  Every 
day  or  two  we  almost  succeeded,  but  never  quite,  so 
long,  at  least,  as  we  remained  on  the  Baco  River. 

From  our  camp  at  Balete  we  could  see  a number 
of  clearings  on  the  neighbouring  slopes  of  Mt.  Halcon. 
The  practico  said  they  were  made  by  Mangyans,  and 
as  we  wanted  to  push  as  far  up  the  mountain-side  as 
possible,  to  collect  birds,  it  was  decided  that  Bourns 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


405 


and  old  Poljensio  should  go  on  a scout.  Upon  their 
return  they  gave  little  encouragement  as  to  the 
prospects  for  good  hunting,  having  found  birds  very 
scarce;  but  the  Mangyans  had  proved  so  promising 
that  we  at  once  decided  to  go  up  and  live  with  them 
for  a time,  in  order  to  secure  photographs  and  study 
their  ways. 

We  accordingly  got  together  a light  outfit,  chose 
two  men  to  help  us  carry  it,  and  set  off,  following  the 
Baco  and  one  of  its  tributaries  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain.  Here  the  practico  signalled  our  approach 
by  a method  quite  new  to  us.  In  the  Philippine 

forests  there  is  a peculiar  tree,  the  roots  of  which 
begin  to  grow  out  from  the  trunk  some  distance  above 
the  ground,  in  a manner  which  will  perhaps  be  best 
understood  by  examining  the  illustration  on  page  416, 
where  a young  tree  of  this  sort  may  be  seen  just  back 
of  the  group  of  Mangyans.  With  increasing  age  these 
curious  roots,  which  form  vertical  walls  of  wood,  have 
their  origin  further  and  further  up  the  stem.  In 
very  old  trees  they  sometimes  leave  the  trunk  twenty 
feet  above  the  ground,  and  project  thirty  feet  at  the 
bottom,  dividing  the  space  at  the  foot  of  the  tree 
into  a number  of  chambers,  with  side-walls  but,  of 
course,  no  roofs. 

Such  a tree  stood  near  our  path.  From  one  of  the 
recesses  at  its  base  Poljensio  pulled  a big  club,  and 
began  to  strike  slow  heavy  blows  on  a projecting 


406 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


root.  The  whole  tree  seemed  to  be  converted  into 
a huge  resonator,  and  each  stroke  produced  a deep, 
booming  noise  that  must  have  been  audible  for  a 
long  distance.  We  had  often  heard  this  peculiar 
sound  before,  rolling  over  the  lowlands,  and  on  ask- 
ing Poljensio  its  meaning  had  been  informed  that  the 
Mangyans  were  “talking.”  We  had  not  taken  the  old 
man  seriously,  but  it  now  dawned  on  us  that  he  had 
been  telling  the  truth. 

After  finishing  his  tattoo  on  the  root,  he  assured 
us  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to  inform  the  Mang- 
yans that  white  men  were  coming  to  visit  them,  so 
that  they  might  not  be  too  much  alarmed  when  we 
appeared  in  their  clearing. 

We  now  started  up  the  mountain-side,  and  I trust 
I may  never  have  such  a climb  again.  The  incline 
was  very  steep,  and  for  a considerable  part  of  the  way 
our  path  lay  along  the  trunks  of  trees,  evidently 
felled  by  the  Mangyans  to  serve  just  this  purpose. 
They  were  worn  smooth  by  bare  feet,  and  slanted 
upward  at  such  a sharp  angle  that  it  at  first  seemed 
impossible  for  white  men  to  walk  up  them.  We  were 
all  weakened  by  recent  attacks  of  fever.  The  sun 
beat  down  upon  us  unmercifully,  and  long  before  we 
reached  our  destination  we  were  so  completely  ex- 
hausted that  we  had  to  stop  for  a rest  every  hundred 
feet  or  so. 

We  were  glad  enough  when  the  climb  was  over,  but 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO  407 


the  Mangyans  had  all  fled.  It  seemed  that  old 
Poljensio  had  traded  with  them  for  twenty  years, 
furnishing  them  machetes,  and  other  articles  which  they 
needed,  in  exchange  for  their  wax,  honey,  and  forest 
gums.  As  he  had  never  once  cheated  them  in  all 
this  time,  they  held  him  in  high  regard ; but  his 
bringing  Bourns  to  their  clearing  had  made  them  very 
angry,  and  they  had  exacted  a promise  from  him  not  to 
commit  such  an  indiscretion  again.  Our  second  com- 
ing, and  especially  the  appearance  of  a man  with  a 
beard,  as  we  afterward  learned,  had  alarmed  them 
beyond  measure.  Fires  were  burning  in  their  huts, 
but  they  had  taken  to  the  forest,  and  although  Pol- 
jensio pounded  trees  all  day,  trying  to  “ talk  ” with 
them,  they  made  no  response. 

While  awaiting  their  return,  we  improved  the  oppor- 
tunity to  explore  the  clearing.  It  contained  about  ten 
acres.  The  Mangyans  had  felled  the  trees  with  their 
only  tool,  the  machete,  cutting  through  many  of  them 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  above  the  ground,  where  they 
were  comparatively  small.  Imagine  hacking  through 
two  feet  of  solid  timber  with  a big  knife ! The  felled 
trees  had  been  destroyed  by  burning,  as  far  as  possi- 
ble, but  their  charred  trunks  lay  scattered  thickly  over 
the  ground.  Yams  had  been  planted  in  the  cleared 
soil,  and  so  rank  was  the  growth  of  their  vines  (see 
illustrations  on  pages  376  and  378)  that  weeds  had  little 
chance  for  life.  A rude  fence  helped  to  keep  out 


408 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


wild  hogs,  and  the  people  who  had  been  diligent 
enough  to  make  this  clearing  had  thereby  gained  an 
unfailing  food-supply,  since  when  hungry  they  had 
only  to  dig  and  cook  sweet  potatoes.  As  the  forest 
furnished  everything  needed  for  dwellings  and  cloth- 
ing, it  seemed  that  their  material  wants  were  very  well 
provided  for. 

Probably  because  of  their  having  a permanent  resi- 
dence, their  houses  were  more  substantial  than  those  of 
their  lowland  neighbours,  who  do  not  cultivate  the  soil, 
but  wander  from  place  to  place,  living  largely  on  sago. 
We  selected  the  most  spacious  of  the  huts  for  our 
abode.  It  is  shown,  together  with  the  family  that  built 
it,  on  page  366.  Its  inside  floor  dimensions  were  ten 
by  six  feet.  It  was  four  feet  high  at  the  centre  and  two 
at  the  sides.  One  small  opening  served  for  door,  win- 
dow, and  chimney. 

Apart  from  the  sweet  potatoes,  we  found  in  the  clear- 
ing a few  plants  of  sugar-cane,  carefully  tied  up,  and  a 
little  mountain  rice.  Perched  on  the  top  of  a tall 
stump  was  an  odd-looking  structure  which  we  inves- 
tigated with  interest,  hoping  that  we  had  at  last  found 
something  in  the  shape  of  a temple,  or  place  of  worship ; 
but  we  were  disappointed.  It  was  only  a storehouse  for 
grain.  With  infinite  patience  its  owners  had  hacked 
out  two  rough  boards,  and  had  fitted  them  about  the 
tree-trunk  in  such  a way  as  to  prevent  rats  from  climbing 
up  and  stealing.  This  was  the  most  elaborate  piece 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


409 


of  Mangyan  architecture  we  ever  saw,  and  Bourns  pho- 
tographed it  with  much  care. 


MANGYAN  STOREHOUSE  FOR  GRAIN MT.  HALCON,  MINDORO 


The  morning  after  our  arrival  Poljensio  caught  the 
headman  of  the  clearing  spying  on  us  from  the  woods, 
and  brought  him  in.  We  soon  interested  him  in  our 
wonderful  jewellery,  mirrors,  etc.,  and  seeing  that  no  evil 


4io 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


befell  him,  the  other  members  of  his  family  came  strag- 
gling back  one  by  one.  In  a few  hours  we  were  all  on 
the  best  of  terms.  We  traded  with  them  for  several 
complete  Mangyan  costumes,  photographed  them,  and 
measured  some  of  them  ; and  before  we  left  their  clear- 
ing we  learned  a good  deal  about  their  manners,  cus- 
toms, and  laws,  and  something  of  their  beliefs. 

I wish  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  costume  of 
the  unmarried  women  shown  on  the  opposite  page  is  not 
entirely  typical,  as  they  had  substituted  cloth  obtained 
from  us  for  certain  portions  of  their  dress,  which  we  had 
purchased.  The  group  is  otherwise  fairly  representative. 

We  found  these  mountaineers  in  every  way  superior 
to  the  lowlanders.  They  were  physically  well  devel- 
oped, and  were  comparatively  free  from  the  disgusting 
skin  diseases  which  had  rendered  most  of  their  tribe 
whom  we  had  previously  met  hideous  in  the  extreme. 
Their  noses  were  very  flat.  Their  heads  were  covered 
with  great  shocks  of  black  hair,  which  in  many  instances 
showed  a tendency  to  curl  — due  perhaps  to  a slight 
admixture  of  Negrito  blood,  although  Negritos  are  not 
known  to  inhabit  Mindoro.  The  tallest  of  the  men  was 
five  feet  and  one-half  inch  in  height,  while  three  women 
measured  four  feet  ten  inches,  four  feet  eight  and  five- 
eighths  inches,  and  four  feet  seven  and  a half  inches, 
respectively. 

Apart  from  the  vegetables  and  grain  which  their 
clearing  afforded,  they  ate  certain  jungle  roots  and 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO  41 1 

tubers ; also  “ toadstools,”  crows  and  any  other  birds 
they  could  get,  rats,  civet-cats,  monkeys,  snakes,  lizards, 
and  fish.  Crocodiles  they  considered  a great  luxury, 
but  could  seldom  catch  them.  In  hunting  they  used 
bows  and  poisoned  arrows,  and  occasionally  managed  to 


GROUP  OF  MAXGYANS  — MT.  HALCOX,  MINDORO 

bring  down  a wild  hog.  Fish  and  the  smaller  mammals 
they  trapped. 

When  a Mangyan  falls  seriously  ill,  his  relatives  and 

O J J J 

friends  run  away  in  fear,  abandoning  him  to  his  fate. 
The  mountain  people  return  after  a time,  however, 
carry  the  body  into  the  woods,  build  a bit  of  a fence 
about  it,  and  cover  the  little  enclosure  thus  formed 


412 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


with  thatch.  The  lowlanders  have  a different  custom, 
as  will  appear  later. 

All  of  the  tribe  with  whom  we  talked  emphatically 
denied  any  belief  in  a future  life.  As  the  headman  of 
this  clearing  tersely  put  it,  “ When  a Mangyan  is  dead, 
he  is  dead!'''  We  asked  our  interpreter  to  inquire 
as  to  their  belief  in  a god  or  gods,  but  he  informed 
us  that  they  had  no  words  for  such  ideas.  At  no 
time  during  any  of  our  three  visits  to  Mindoro  did 
we  find  the  slightest  evidence  of  idolatry,  spirit  wor- 
ship, or,  for  that  matter,  of  worship  of  any  sort  what- 
soever. 

The  only  possible  clew  to  a belief  in  supernatural 
powers  which  we  obtained,  was  in  a barbarous  ordeal 
for  the  detection  of  persons  guilty  of  theft.  We  never 
saw  this  test  carried  out,  but  it  was  carefully  described 
to  us.  An  accused  person  is  placed  before  a fire,  in 
which  a piece  of  iron  of  convenient  size  has  been  heated 
red-hot  and  covered  with  living  coals.  He  raises  his 
hands  to  heaven  and  says,  “ May  this  hot  iron  enter  my 
heart  if  I am  guilty.”  To  whom  he  imagines  that  he 
is  addressing  this  appeal,  we  could  not  learn.  Having 
made  it,  he  brushes  aside  the  coals  with  his  bare  hand, 
grasps  the  iron,  and  attempts  to  hold  it  firmly.  If  he 
flinches  or  drops  it,  he  is  adjudged  guilty,  and  com- 
pelled to  pay  a heavy  fine. 

Should  a convenient  piece  of  iron,  or  iron-ore,  not  be 
available,  a pebble  is  placed  at  the  bottom  of  an  earthen 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


413 


pot  filled  with  boiling  water,  and  the  suspect  is  forced 
to  take  it  out. 

Mangyans  do  not  inflict  the  death  penalty  on  each 
other  as  a punishment  for  crime.  If  one  of  them  kills 
another  in  a quarrel,  he  forfeits  his  property  to  the 
wife  or  relatives  of  his  victim.  If,  however,  any  one 
outside  of  the  tribe  takes  the  life  of  one  of  its  mem- 
bers, they  all  unite  in  an  effort  to  kill  him  or  any  of 
his  relatives  whom  they  may  encounter. 

A man  may  have  as  many  wives  as  he  can  support,  but 
a woman  is  expected  to  be  satisfied  with  one  husband. 
Children  often  marry  by  the  time  they  are  eight  years  of 
age.  All  the  information  we  could  get  as  to  the  marriage 
ceremony  was  that  “ The  old  folks  get  together  and  talk.” 

One  might  imagine  that  morality  would  be  at  a low 
ebb  among  a people  whose  women  are  almost  without 
modesty,  and  where  all  alike  agree  that  there  is  no 
future  life,  nor  any  sure  retribution  for  evil  deeds  in 
this.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth.  Such 
a thins;  as  a faithless  wife  is  almost  unknown.  A^ain 
and  again  we  left,  wholly  unprotected,  enough  property 
to  make  a dozen  of  them  very  wealthy  according  to 
their  standards,  yet  they  never  stole  a penny’s  worth 
from  us.  On  the  whole,  after  making  somewhat  ex- 
tensive observations  among  the  Philippine  natives,  I am 
inclined  to  formulate  the  law  that  their  morals  improve 
as  the  square  of  the  distance  from  churches  and  other 
so-called  “ civilizing  influences.” 


414 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


As  regards  his  philosophy,  a Mangyan  is  a fatalist. 
If  the  pigs  spoil  his  potato-patch,  or  the  lightning 
strikes  his  wife  dead,  he  has  only  one  comment  to 
make,  i.e.  “ So  it  was  appointed.”  I was  a good  deal 
amused  at  the  account  which  a padre  at  Naujan  gave 
me  of  the  reply  he  received  from  a Mangyan  to  whom 
he  had  been  setting  forth  the  benefits  of  Christianity. 
The  unregenerate  heathen  had  answered  that  if  he 
became  a Christian  it  would  cost  money  to  be  baptized, 
to  live,  to  marry,  to  die,  and  to  be  buried.  In  his 
existing  state  none  of  these  more  or  less  necessary 
operations  cost  him  anything,  and  he  could  see  no 
advantages  to  be  derived  from  embracing  Christianity, 
commensurate  with  the  increased  expense ! 

The  Mangyan  language  is  peculiar.  There  are 
some  common  words  like  asm  (salt)  and  ti'ibig  (water) 
that  run  through  nearly  all  the  Philippine  dialects  with 
which  I have  any  familiarity;  but  all  the  Mangyan 
words  were  strange  to  us,  while  certain  inarticulate, 
clucking  sounds  gave  to  their  speech  a character  dis- 
tinct from  that  of  any  other  tribe  with  which  we  came 
in  contact. 

We  were  sorry  when  the  time  came  for  us  to  leave 
our  cool  perch  on  the  mountain-side  and  return  to 
our  camp.  The  married  woman  whose  picture  ap- 
pears on  page  376  took  the  loads  which  had  made  all 
five  of  us  grumble  when  we  came  up,  put  them  into 
a blanket,  tied  its  ends  together  and  threw  it  on  her 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


415 


back,  with  the  knot  over  her  forehead.  Thus  bur- 
dened she  began  the  descent,  and  never  once  stopped 
until  she  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  We 
considered  this  a rather  good  showing  for  the  “ weaker 
sex.” 

With  the  least  possible  loss  of  time  we  returned 
to  Calapan  and  set  off  anew,  this  time  for  the  Laguna 
de  Naujan.  On  our  arrival  there  we  found  that  our 
old  friend  Feliciano  had  built  a fine  new  house  (shown 
on  page  138),  in  which  we  remained  during  our  stay  at 
the  lake.  We  were  fortunate  in  our  collecting,  getting 
three  crocodiles  and  four  more  timarau  as  well  as  a 
fair  lot  of  birds. 

We  saw  a good  deal  of  the  Mangyans  of  the  region 
during  our  stay.  They  had  come  more  or  less  in 
contact  with  the  renegade  Tagalogs,  and  had  not 
profited  by  the  acquaintanceship,  although  their  women 
had  learned  to  wear  such  cloth  as  they  could  get  hold 
of.  (See  illustration  on  page  416.)  Compared  with  the 
mountaineers,  they  were  a wretched,  scrawny,  under- 
developed set.  Many  of  them  were  suffering  from 
fever,  while  others  had  a disgusting  disease  which 
caused  their  skin  to  turn  white,  crack,  and  peel  off 
in  great  flakes  all  over  their  bodies.  They  made  good 
carriers,  however,  the  women  proving  quite  as  useful 
as  the  men.  The  group  shown  in  the  illustration 
above  referred  to  were  part  of  our  regular  coolie- 


gang. 

O O 


4i  6 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


GROUP  OF  MANGYANS, 

Showing  effect  of  contact  with  civilized  natives  — Laguna  de  Naujan,  Mindoro 


These  lowlanders  were  an  inferior  class  mentally, 
as  well  as  physically.  The  mountaineers  count  up 
to  ten  and  then  repeat.  Few  of  the  lowlanders  could 
get  above  three,  although  their  most  learned  mathe- 
maticians managed  to  compass  twenty  by  using  the 
finders  of  both  hands  and  the  toes  of  both  feet.  As 
they  always  counted  in  a definite  direction,  each  digit 
came  to  have  its  predetermined  mathematical  value. 
Ordinarily,  however,  if  we  wished  a man  to  return 
in  five  days,  we  tied  as  many  knots  in  a bit  of  rattan, 
and  instructed  him  to  untie  one  of  them  each  morning. 


SECOND  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


4i7 


When  they  were  all  gone,  he  knew  it  was  time  to 
return. 

Their  food  disgusted  us  more  than  anything  else. 
Our  crocodile-meat  was  a great  luxury  to  them,  and 
after  skinning  the  foul-smelling  reptiles  the  very  thought 
of  any  one’s  eating  them  made  us  sick.  Timarau- 
meat  that  had  lain  in  the  jungle  until  it  was,  like 
Charles  Lamb’s  cheese,  ready  to  be  led  if  one  but 
tied  a string  to  it,  they  devoured  with  delight.  Why 
it  did  not  kill  them,  I could  never  make  out.  It  smelled 
so  that  we  would  not  allow  them  to  bring  it  near  the 
house,  but  they  carried  it  off  to  their  camp  and  had 
a grand  feast,  eating  until  they  had  reached  their 
limit,  and  then  running  around  their  fire  until  they 
had  settled  their  dinner  sufficiently  to  make  room 
for  dessert,  which  consisted  of  more  of  the  first  course. 
When  completely  gorged,  they  lay  down  to  sleep  off 
the  effects. 

I may  mention,  in  passing,  that  the  rather  surprising 
corpulence  of  the  individuals  shown  in  the  illustration 
on  the  opposite  page  was  due  to  our  having  tried  to  de- 
termine experimentally  how  much  boiled  rice  a Mangyan 
could  eat.  After  three  times  cooking  for  them  all  our 
largest  pot  would  hold,  we  abandoned  the  research,  de- 
ciding that  we  could  not  afford  the  rice  to  continue  it. 

One  of  their  delicacies  was  quite  too  much  for  me. 
A man  who  had  often  brought  me  land-shells  came 
in  one  morning,  carrying  something  of  which  he  was 


418 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


evidently  very  choice,  tied  up  in  a large  leaf.  I thought 
he  must  have  found  some  especially  fine  shells,  but  on 
opening  the  package,  discovered  that  it  contained  only 
half  a dozen  immense  white  grubs,  with  brown  heads. 
They  at  once  began  to  crawl  away  in  different  direc- 
tions, but  the  fellow  herded  them  carefully,  and  offered 
them  to  me,  evidently  considering  them  something 
very  fine.  I explained  to  him  that  I did  not  want 
them,  as  they  were  too  soft  and  “ squashy  ” to  preserve 
without  alcohol,  which  I did  not  happen  to  have.  He 
at  once  began  to  gesticulate  excitedly ; but  I could  not 
make  out  what  he  was  driving  at,  until  he  suddenly 
picked  up  one  of  the  nasty  things  by  the  head,  bit  off 
its  body,  and  swallowed  it  with  evident  satisfaction. 
I promptly  and  forcibly  banished  him,  throwing  his 
grubs  out  of  the  window  after  him.  He  gathered 
them  up  carefully  and  made  off,  with  an  expression 
of  wonder  on  his  countenance. 

On  inquiry  I learned  that  these  creatures  bore  in  the 
trunk  of  the  sago  palm,  and  gorge  themselves  with 
starch.  It  is  presumable  that  this  turns  to  sugar  as  it  is 
digested,  and  they  are  doubtless  sweet,  although  I must 
admit  that  I have  no  first-hand  evidence  to  offer  on  this 
point.  The  Mangyans  regard  them  in  the  light  of  con- 
fectionery, and  my  man  had  imagined  that  he  was  doing 
me  a great  favour  when  he  brought  me  some  of  them. 

With  the  coming  on  of  the  rainy  season  we  were 
forced  to  bring  our  work  in  Mindoro  to  a close,  but 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


419 


as  we  had  just  found  a fine  hunting-ground  for  timarau 
on  the  Subaan  River,  some  ten  miles  from  our  house 
at  the  lake,  we  resolved  to  return  the  following  year. 
This  we  did,  bringing  Mateo  with  us.  We  were  for- 
tunate in  again  securing  the  services  of  old  Poljensio, 
and  made  for  Naujan  Lake  at  once.  Tulisanes  had  been 
causing  so  much  trouble  in  eastern  Mindoro  that  we 
thought  it  best  to  take  soldiers  along,  to  guard  our 
house  during  our  absence  from  it,  and  men  were  accord- 
ingly furnished  us  by  the  governor. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  town  of  Naujan,  we  found 
that  it  had  recently  been  raided  by  a band  of  some 
thirty  outlaws.  They  had  entered  the  place  at  four 
in  the  morning,  and  had  begun  operations  by  shooting 
into  the  tribunal  and  killing  one  of  the  cuadrilleros 
on  guard  there.  The  people  of  the  town  had  fled  to 
the  neighbouring  swamps  as  soon  as  firing  began,  so 
the  tulisanes  plundered  the  houses  at  their  leisure. 
By  daybreak  they  had  pillaged  to  their  heart’s  content. 
Repairing  to  the  public  square,  they  killed  a buffalo 
and  had  a barbecue  within  seventy-five  yards  of  the 
convento.  This  building  was  of  stone,  and  admirably 
constructed  for  defence.  The  padre  had  a Spencer 
carbine  and  plenty  of  ammunition.  Why  he  did  not  in- 
dulge in  a little  target  practice,  no  one  seemed  to  know. 

After  filling  themselves  with  food  the  bandits  set 
off,  driving  before  them  a number  of  buffaloes  heavily 
laden  with  plunder. 


420 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


As  they  left  the  town,  they  fired  a few  parting  shots 
at  some  natives  who  had  ventured  to  show  themselves 
at  the  edge  of  a swamp.  A fast  runner  had  started 
for  Calapan  when  they  first  appeared,  and  as  soon 
as  he  brought  the  news  a company  of  soldiers  set 
out  from  the  capital  preceded  by  the  governor  and 
a number  of  Spanish  officials,  who  pushed  ahead  on 
horseback.  The  Spaniards  reached  Naujan  in  time 
to  hear  the  last  shots  fired.  They  were  well  armed, 
but  instead  of  pursuing  the  tulisanes , who  had  amongst 
them  only  fourteen  old  flint-locks,  and  were  shooting 
iron  balls,  spikes,  and  the  like  for  lack  of  bullets, 
they  went  about  town  and  made  a careful  list  of  the 
persons  who  had  been  robbed ! After  the  tulisanes 
were  safe  in  the  forest  a vigorous  pursuit  was  organ- 
ized, which  naturally  resulted  in  nothing. 

Three  well-mounted  men,  with  such  rifles  as  the 
Spaniards  had,  might  have  kept  out  of  range  of  the 
antiquated  guns  which  the  bandits  carried  and  have 
given  them  a lesson  that  they  would  not  soon  have 
forgotten.  In  fact,  two  of  the  villagers  borrowed  the 
priest’s  rifle  and  seven  cartridges,  and  ran  after  them. 
Deliberately  approaching  within  short  range,  they 
opened  fire,  killing  three  of  the  robbers.  These 
brave  men  held  their  ground  while  their  ammunition 
lasted,  but  had  to  retreat  when  it  was  gone.  They 
were  both  wounded,  one  being  shot  through  the  neck 
and  the  other  in  the  foot.  Curiously  enough,  the 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


421 


former  recovered,  while  the  latter,  having  been  hit 
with  a rusty  old  iron  ball,  died  of  lockjaw. 

As  Capitan  Valeriano  was  out  of  town  when  we 
arrived,  we  stopped  in  the  tribunal.  The  fresh  bul- 
let-holes in  its  walls,  as  well  as  certain  bloody  relics 
of  two  ghastly  murders  which  had  recently  been  com- 
mitted in  the  place,  served  to  remind  us  that  we  were 
in  a bad  country.  We  were  informed  that  both  of 
the  murderers  had  taken  refuge  at  Naujan  Lake,  which 
was  not  particularly  encouraging.  We  pushed  on, 
however,  reaching  our  destination  in  safety,  and  stop- 
ping once  more  at  the  house  of  Feliciano. 

Mateo  and  Poljensio  made  a splendid  combination 
for  hunting  timarati , and  we  let  them  attend  to  it, 
while  one  of  us  superintended  the  removal  and  pres- 
ervation of  the  skins,  and  the  other  “ fished  ” in  the 
lake  for  crocodiles. 

On  our  second  visit  to  the  Laguna  we  had  brought 
along  a number  of  hooks,  made  of  quarter-inch  steel. 
They  were  six  inches  long,  and  had  big  rings  for  the 
attachment  of  the  three-quarter-inch  Manila  rope  which 
served  us  for  line.  Near  the  hook  we  put  loosely 
braided  abaca , in  order  that  the  conical  teeth  of  the 
crocodiles  might  pass  in  among  the  fibres,  without 
cutting  them.  For  bait  we  used  monkeys  or  dogs, 
dead,  of  course,  and  the  deader  the  better;  for  the 
smell  of  carrion  attracts  these  reptiles. 

We  made  our  lines  fast  to  trees  or  stumps  at  the 


422 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


water’s  edge,  and  sticking  poles  in  the  mud,  hung 
the  baited  hooks  from  them  in  such  a way  that  they 
dangled  about  three  feet  above  the  water,  but  could 
be  easily  pulled  down.  Our  plan  did  not  work  very 
well.  The  crocodiles  chewed  the  bait  off  the  hooks 
faster  than  we  could  put  it  on,  but  neither  swallowed 
them  nor  got  them  caught  in  their  mouths.  At  last, 
however,  we  secured  a fair-sized  specimen.  He  was 
too  greedy  to  let  go  of  the  bait,  and  hung  on  until 
Bourns  got  near  enough  to  shoot  him  in  the  head, 
when  he  sank  to  the  bottom,  apparently  dead.  For- 
tunately he  still  kept  his  grip  on  the  hook,  and  was, 
therefore,  easily  hauled  up  and  loaded  into  the  boat. 
While  he  was  being  taken  to  the  landing,  several  of 
the  coolies  sat  on  him.  In  order  the  more  readily  to 
haul  him  up  the  bank,  they  tied  a rope  around  him, 
and  threw  him  overboard ; whereupon  he  suddenly 
came  to  life  and  started  out  into  the  lake,  dragging 
after  him  a man  who  had  foolishly  tied  the  free  end 
of  the  cord  about  his  waist,  in  order  to  pull  the 
harder.  Half  a dozen  coolies  sprang  in  to  help  their 
companion,  but  for  a time  it  seemed  doubtful  whether 
they  would  be  dragged  into  the  lake,  or  would  haul 
the  crocodile  out.  Reinforcements  saved  the  day, 
however,  and  eventually  the  big  reptile  was  securely 
tied  up  to  await  our  convenience.  Before  skinning 
him  we  took  his  photograph,  which  is  reproduced  on  the 
opposite  page.  If  one  looks  closely,  the  wound  in  his 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


423 


nead  can  be  seen.  It  would  naturally  be  supposed 
that  a 500-grain  bullet  planted  in  such  a place  would 
have  killed  him  instantly ; but  the  brain  of  a croco- 
dile is  a very  small  affair,  and  the  ball  missed  it, 
simply  stunning  him. 


A CROCODILE  AWAITING  OUR  CONVENIENCE  — LAGUNA  DE  NAUJAN,  MINDORO 

For  some  days  our  men  were  much  excited  over 
their  boat-ride  with  a live  crocodile,  and  it  was  really 
a wonder  that  none  of  them  were  bitten. 

A little  later,  Bourns  shot  a fair-sized  specimen 
which  had  crawled  out  on  the  bank,  but  our  hooks 
brought  us  nothing  more  until  it  occurred  to  us  to 
bind  three  of  them  together,  forming  a grapple.  We 


424 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


reasoned  that  this  would  be  an  uncomfortable  thins: 
to  chew,  and  would  therefore  be  the  more  likely  to  be 
swallowed.  Our  theory  proved  sound,  and  we  speed- 
ily captured  a very  large  male,  with  the  grapple 
lodged  in  his  stomach  and  securely  caught  in  its 
walls.  This  was  just  at  the  close  of  our  stay. 

Before  returning  for  our  third  and  last  visit  to  the 
lake,  we  had  ordered  in  Manila  a lot  of  new  hooks, 
which  were  welded  together  by  their  shanks,  in  threes. 
With  these  we  now  had  excellent  success,  catching 
ten  fine  crocodiles,  the  largest  measuring  twelve  feet 
seven  inches  in  length.  With  several  of  our  cap- 
tives we  had  exciting  experiences,  as  they  did  not  all 
submit  tamely  to  being  hauled  in  One  big  fellow 
towed  my  boat  out  into  the  middle  of  the  lake,  in 
spite  of  the  best  efforts  of  my  men  to  paddle  ashore. 
There  he  kept  us  all  day,  putting  his  nose  up  from 
time  to  time,  and  renewing  his  supply  of  air,  but 
never  giving  me  a shot.  Whenever  we  tried  to  start 
the  boat,  he  simply  dug  into  the  mud  of  the  bottom 
and  anchored  us.  Toward  evening  a canoe-load  of 
natives  passed  near  us,  and  I made  them  lend  a hand. 
The  two  crews  were  too  much  for  the  big  reptile,  but 
it  was  so  dark  before  we  reached  shore  that  we  missed 
the  landing.  Our  progress  in  the  shallow  water  was 
very  slow,  and  I was  finally  forced  to  the  rather  risky 
expedient  of  having  the  men  haul  the  crocodile’s  ugly 
head  out  of  water  over  the  stern  of  the  boat,  so  that 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


425 


I could  shoot  him.  I fired  into  his  wide-open  mouth, 
trying  for  the  brain,  and  my  third  shot  found  the 
mark,  killing  him  instantly.  With  much  difficulty 
we  loaded  him  into  the  banca , and  at  last  got  back  to 
the  landing. 

Mateo  and  Poljensio  hunted  on  the  Subaan  River, 
which  flowed  into  the  lake  some  miles  from  our  house, 
killing  no  less  than  ten  timarau  during  our  stay.  Each 
morning  they  started  out  and  took  up  the  first  fresh 
trail  they  struck.  One  of  us  remained  in  camp  with 
the  skinning  gang,  and  kept  his  ears  open  for  firing. 
As  soon  as  he  heard  a shot  he  started  with  the  men, 
taking  dinner  for  the  practico  and  Mateo,  as  well  as 
skinning  knives,  a rifle,  and  a compass.  Going  in 
the  direction  taken  by  the  hunters,  he  sooner  or  later 
found  a bamboo  cross  at  the  edge  of  the  river,  marking 
the  trail  they  had  followed.  He  then  signalled  for 
direction  with  rifle-shots,  and  Mateo  replied ; whereupon 
the  bearings  of  the  answering  shot  were  taken  as  care- 
fully as  possible,  and  a path  was  cut  straight  through 
the  jungle  to  the  dead  timarau.  While  the  hunters 
ate,  the  skinners  removed  the  hide  and  roughed  out 
the  skeleton,  and  before  dark  all  hands  were  back  in 
camp. 

We  saw  a good  deal  of  the  Mangyans  at  the  Su- 
baan River.  They  came  to  get  sago  from  the  palms 
which  grew  abundantly  along  its  banks,  and  were 
attracted  also  by  the  prospect  of  obtaining  timarau 


426 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


meat.  Some  of  them  were  clad  in  the  costume  typical 
of  their  tribe,  while  others  had  purchased  clothing 
from  the  Tagalogs. 

Mosquitoes  were  very  troublesome  along  the  river 
and  the  little  children,  who  went  stark  naked,  had  a 


PARTIALLY  CIVILIZED  MANGYANS  — SUBAAN  RIVER.  MINDORO 


hard  time  of  it.  Mothers  carry  their  small  babies 
astride  the  hip.  When  they  are  a few  months  old, 
they  are  transferred  to  slings  which  may  be  borne  on 
the  back  of  either  parent.  In  the  above  illustration, 
which  shows  a group  of  partially  civilized  Mangyans 
in  the  bed  of  the  Subaan  River,  a small  boy  may  be 
seen  peeping  over  the  shoulder  of  his  father,  who  also 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


427 


carries  at  his  side  a quantity  of  sago  tied  up  in 
a leaf. 

The  method  which  they  employ  to  get  sago  is 
decidedly  primitive.  The  palms  are  felled  with 
machetes,  their  trunks  are  cut  up  into  three-foot 
lengths,  and  these  are  halved.  The  fibre  is  then 
pounded  out  of  them  with  wooden  mallets,  and  water 
is  run  through  it  to  wash  out  the  starch.  The  water 
runs  off  looking  like  whitewash,  and  is  caught  in  rude 
wooden  troughs,  or  in  receptacles  made  of  immense 
leaves.  When  the  sago  has  settled,  the  water  is  drawn 
off,  and  drying  completes  the  process. 

The  Mangyans  about  the  lake  did  not  carry  their  dead 
into  the  forest,  as  do  the  mountain  people.  It  was  their 
custom  to  abandon  the  sick  as  soon  as  their  condition 
became  serious.  After  a time  they  would  steal  back  to 
learn  the  result  of  the  illness,  and  if,  by  any  chance, 
recovery  had  begun,  would  do  what  they  could  to  help 
the  patient.  If,  as  was  more  frequently  the  case,  death 
had  ended  the  earthly  troubles  of  the  unfortunate,  they 
fled  at  once,  leaving  everything  in  the  house  undis- 
turbed, and  closing  all  paths  to  it  with  brush.  Having 
taken  this  precaution,  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  per- 
son hid  themselves  away  in  the  jungle,  changing  their 
names,  to  bring  better  luck. 

This  peculiar  custom  greatly  facilitated  our  collect- 
ing operations.  In  one  half-day  we  found  three  de- 
serted houses,  and  secured  as  many  fairly  complete 


428 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


skeletons,  well  cleaned  by  ants  and  other  insects,  to- 
gether with  a large  amount  of  other  ethnological 
material. 

When  we  had  been  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lake  for 
about  a month,  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  return  to  Calapan 
and  get  our  mail.  Taking  a repeating  rifle  and  plenty 
of  ammunition  I set  off,  with  only  old  Poljensio  as  a 
body-guard.  We  made  the  trip  to  the  Adlobang  River 
in  a light  banca,  and  pushed  on  to  Naujan  overland, 
intending  to  follow  the  seashore  from  that  point  to  our 
journey’s  end ; but  as  the  tide  was  high,  I stopped  at 
the  house  of  Capitan  Valeriano  to  sleep  until  it  fell. 
When  I awoke  I heard  a confused  murmur  out  of  doors. 
It  was  highly  suggestive  of  a crowd,  and  a crowd  is 
usually  a very  undesirable  sort  of  thing  in  the  vicinity 
of  Naujan. 

Snatching  up  my  rifle,  I called  Poljensio,  and  hurried 
out  to  see  what  the  trouble  was.  There  were  at  least 
300  people  gathered  about  the  house,  and  the  moment 
I showed  myself,  a villainous-looking  specimen  of  hu- 
manity pushed  up  to  me  and  briefly  announced  that 
he  had  come  to  have  me  shoot  at  him.  To  say  that 
I was  surprised  is  putting  it  mildly. 

At  some  time  the  man  had  received  a terrible  blow 
in  the  face  from  a machete,  which  had  put  out  his  left 
eye,  cut  his  nose  in  two,  and  enlarged  his  mouth  some 
two  inches  at  its  right  corner.  My  first  thought  was 
that  it  had  also  impaired  his  reason.  I replied  that 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO  429 

I should  be  happy  to  shoot  him  if  it  would  be  any 
accommodation,  but  would  first  like  to  know  why  he 
wished  to  be  shot. 

He  answered  that  he  neither  wished  nor  expected 
that.  He  simply  desired  to  show  a few  friends  that 
/ c 07i Id  not  shoot  him.  He  had  anting  anting  and 
would  catch  my  bullet  in  his  fingers,  or  blow  on  it  and 
cause  it  to  fall  to  the  ground.  It  seemed  cpiite  certain 
that  I had  to  do  with  a t7ilisan  leader;  and  as  I looked 
the  crowd  over,  and  noted  the  number  of  unfamiliar 
faces,  I concluded  that  it  contained  a goodly  sprinkling 
of  his  followers.  Evidently,  it  would  be  unsafe  to  let 
him  bluff  me,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  I had  no  de- 
sire to  provide  material  for  a funeral. 

The  situation  rather  staggered  me.  I had  never 
supposed  that  gentry  of  his  stamp  took  themselves 
seriously,  but  had  imagined  that  they  knowingly  im- 
posed on  the  credulity  of  their  followers.  This  man, 
however,  was  apparently  very  much  in  earnest  in  his 
desire  to  serve  as  a target,  and  I was  at  first  tempted 
to  relieve  him  of  a finger  or  two  at  short  range;  for  he 
had  kindly  offered  to  let  me  choose  my  distance.  A 
better  plan  occurred  to  me,  however. 

I told  him  I would  shoot  at  his  aiiting  anting  itself. 
To  this  he  assented,  producing  a little  leather-bound 
book  about  two  inches  long  by  one  and  a half  wide, 
which  proved  to  be  the  wonderful  charm  in  question. 
It  was  agreed  that  I should  fire  at  twenty  paces ; and 


430 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


I offered  him  five  dollars  if  I missed,  but  stipulated 
that  if  I made  a hit,  the  anting  anting  should  be  mine. 

We  went  to  the  bank  of  a neighbouring  stream,  in 
order  that  my  bullet  might  bury  itself  harmlessly  in 
the  water,  and  he  set  up  his  charm  in  the  sand, 
opening  it  wide,  to  make  the  mark  as  large  as  possi- 
ble. Noting  that  one  of  the  two  pages  thus  exposed 
had  writing  on  it,  I fired  at  the  other  The  impact  of 
the  ball  caused  the  little  book  to  fly  into  the  air.  The 
crowd  had  run  away,  and  my  tulisan  had  sought  shelter 
behind  a tree  as  I raised  my  rifle  to  take  aim ; but  he  now 
ran  forward  with  a cry  of  delight,  evidently  believing  that 
his  book  had  jiimped  of  itself  to  avoid  the  bullet.  He 
was  rather  crestfallen  when  he  found  a hole  in  it,  but 
in  a moment  showed  me  with  much  satisfaction  that  it 
went  only  half-way  through.  This  phenomenon  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  book,  which  had  been  open 
when  I fired,  was  now  shut;  but  he  could  not  see  it 
that  way.  I therefore  had  him  put  the  charm  up  again, 
and  bored  it  to  his  entire  satisfaction.  He  now  decided 
that  it  must  be  “ old  and  worn-out,”  but  produced 
another,  which  he  said  was  better.  I promptly  gath- 
ered it  in.  This  convinced  him  that  I had  an  anting 
anting  myself,  but  he  still  had  confidence  in  yet  another 
one  of  his  own,  which  was  believed  to  possess  wondrous 
properties.  Two  men  had  already  shot  at  it.  The 
gun  of  the  first  exploded,  killing  him  instantly;  while 
the  other  not  only  failed  to  hit  it,  but  came  down  with 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


43i 


smallpox  the  next  day.  I learned  afterward  that, 
curiously  enough,  both  these  statements  were  true. 

I was  undismayed  by  the  sad  fate  of  my  predecessors, 
however,  and  told  him  to  put  up  his  charm.  It  was 
in  a cloth  tied  about  his  waist,  and  he  was  evidently 
afraid  of  it  himself.  He  kept  it  covered  even  after 
sticking  it  up  on  edge  in  the  sand.  Drawing  a circle 
about  it,  he  scrawled  a number  of  mystic  characters 
within  this  ring ; and  after  falling  on  his  knees  and 
repeating  an  unintelligible  rigmarole,  turned  his  face 
away  and  snatched  off  the  cloth,  disclosing  an  oval 
bronze  medal,  some  three  inches  by  two.  This  was 
evidently  an  anting  anting  of  the  first  water,  for  now 
the  crowd  took  to  their  heels  again,  and  my  tulisan 
sought  refuse  behind  his  tree.  His  medal  was  a shin- 
ing  mark,  but,  unfortunately,  I knocked  it  into  the  river, 
and  it  could  not  be  found. 

The  crowd  came  straggling  back,  and  proceeded 
to  jeer  at  the  discomfited  bandit,  who  insisted  that 
his  charms  would  have  been  all  right  on  any  ordinary 
occasion,  but  the  cachila  had  one  that  was  stronger  than 
his.  It  seemed  that  there  were  other  men  supposed  to 
be  bullet-proof  in  that  crowd,  and  calling  on  several  of 
them  by  name,  he  invited  them  to  pit  their  anting  anting 
against  mine.  When  the  supply  was  exhausted,  I was 
the  possessor  of  a large  collection  of  curious  articles, 
and  of  a reputation  which  was  worth  more  to  us  than 
two  regiments  of  soldiers  would  have  been. 


432 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  crowd  followed  me  back  to  the  house,  and 
respectfully  requested  that  I would  perform  a few 
miracles,  so  I let  one  of  them  cut  a small  piece  of 
rope  in  two,  and  “ chewed  the  ends  together  ” ; made 
water  run  up-hill,  with  a siphon ; and  finally  hypnotized 
a fighting  cock.  Had  I desired  to  set  up  in  business 
as  a tulisan  chief,  I believe  that  my  friend  with  the 
damaged  face,  and,  in  fact,  most  of  the  male  popula- 
tion of  the  village,  would  have  been  ready  to  enlist 
under  me.  I had  fallen  from  grace  with  the  women, 
however,  and  thereafter  they  slammed  doors  and  shut- 
ters, or  scudded  for  shelter,  whenever  they  saw  me 
approaching. 

On  overhauling  my  collection  of  anting  anting , I 

found  that  one  consisted  of 
a betel-nut  and  an  old  leaden 
bullet,  wound  with  string  and 
tied  together.  Another  was 
a small  joint  of  bamboo, 
stopped  at  its  open  end  with 
a bit  of  dirty  rag,  and  con- 
taining a stone  which  had 
been  found  in  the  stomach 
of  a crocodile.  Most  of  them, 
however,  were  small  books  in 
which  had  been  written  a 
good  deal  of  extraordinarily  bad  Latin,  some  Tagalog, 
and  a lot  of  mummery  made  up  of  letters  of  the 


FACSIMILE  OF  A PAGE  IN  AN 
ANTING  ANTING 


THIRD  VISIT  TO  MINDORO 


433 


alphabet  and  cabalistic  marks.  (See  illustration  on 
opposite  page.)  I strongly  suspect  that  the  friars  of  the 
island  could  have  explained  the  origin  of  some  of  them. 

Curiously  enough,  while  I was  having  this  expe- 
rience at  Naujan,  my  companion  was  similarly  engaged 
at  the  lake,  where  he  also  succeeded  in  making  a 
collection  of  charms,  but  frightened  our  coolies  so 
that  they  ran  off  into  the  forest  and  hid.  There 
may  have  been  more  than  a mere  coincidence  in  this. 
In  any  event  we  were  safe  from  molestation  during 
the  remainder  of  our  stay. 

What  might  have  happened  to  us,  had  the  tulisanes 
dared  to  attack  us,  was  well  shown  by  the  fate  which 
befell  two  Spaniards  but  a few  days  after  we  left  the 
island.  A gang  of  bandits  entered  the  house  of  a 
poor  fellow  who  was  keeping  a little  shop  in  one  of 
the  eastern  coast  villages,  and  as  he  came  out  of  his 
sleeping-room  to  see  what  the  trouble  was,  shot  him 
through  the  groin,  bringing  him  to  the  floor  mortally 
hurt.  Not  content  with  this,  the  brutes  dragged  him 
into  his  dining-room  by  the  feet,  stuck  the  muzzle  of 
a gun  in  his  mouth,  and  blew  his  head  off ; after 
which  they  cut  flesh  from  his  body  to  feed  their  dogs. 
A few  days  later  the  same  band  raided  a convento, 
captured  the  friar  in  charge,  and  demanded  money. 
He  gave  them  some  thirty  dollars  — all  he  had.  They 
insisted  on  having  more,  which  he,  of  course,  could 
not  furnish.  After  first  trying  threats  in  vain,  they 


434 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


hacked  off  his  right  hand  with  a machete,  then 
chopped  through  his  arm  at  the  elbow,  and  finally 
at  the  shoulder,  when  he  died.  This  actually  aroused 
the  officials,  who  took  steps  for  the  apprehension  of 
the  criminals,  with  what  success  I do  not  know.  An 
infantry  captain  informed  me  that  they  sent  a force 
to  the  west  coast,  with  instructions  to  shoot  every 
prisoner  they  took  who  could  not  show  a cedula.  The 
method  may  have  been  a trifle  arbitrary,  but  if  they 
followed  it  they  cannot  have  gone  very  far  wrong. 

We  were  well  satisfied  with  the  results  of  this  out 
third  visit,  but  were  all  in  poor  health  before  we  got 
away.  In  fact,  not  only  did  we  ourselves  have  fever 
as  the  result  of  each  of  our  trips  to  this  the  most 
unhealthful  of  the  larger  Philippine  islands,  but  every 
man  whom  we  employed  suffered  from  it  more  or  less 
severely.  We  had  found  much  to  enjoy  during  our 
wanderings  in  the  interior,  but  were  not  sorry  to  feel 
that  our  work  in  Mindoro  had  been  brought  to  a suc- 
cessful termination.  While  its  natural  resources  are 
undoubtedly  great,  I feel  disposed  to  allow  some  one 
else  to  undertake  their  development. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


LUZON 

Luzon,  with  its  42,000  square  miles,  includes  more 
than  a third  of  the  total  land  area  of  the  Philippine 
Islands.  In  its  northern  portion  are  extensive  chains 
of  lofty  mountains.  There  are  also  a number  of  vol- 
canic peaks,  active  and  extinct,  and  the  world  does  not 
contain  a more  perfect  cone  than  that  of  the  Mayon 
volcano,  in  Albay  province.  It  rises  majestically  to  a 
height  of  nearly  10,000  feet,  and  whatever  the  point  of 
view,  its  outline  is  simply  perfect.  Taal,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  one  of  the  lowest  active  volcanoes  known,  its 
whole  top  having  been  blown  off  during  a terrific  erup- 
tion in  1749. 

The  river  and  lake  systems  of  Luzon  are  second  only 
to  those  of  Mindanao.  The  Rio  Grande  de  Cagayan 
rises  in  South  Caraballo  mountain  near  the  centre  of 
the  island,  and  empties  at  its  extreme  northern  end, 
draining  an  immense  area.  It  overflows  its  banks  each 
year,  during  the  rainy  season ; and  the  soil  in  its  valley 
is  extraordinarily  fertile,  producing  the  best  tobacco 
grown  in  the  archipelago.  Steamers  of  eleven  feet 
draught  have,  it  is  said,  entered  this  river;  but  the  bar 


435 


436 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


at  its  mouth  is  constantly  shifting,  and  makes  navigation 
dangerous. 

The  Rio  Grande  de  la  Pampanga  also  rises  in  South 
Caraballo,  but  flows  in  the  opposite  direction,  empty- 
ing into  Manila  Bay  by  more  than  twenty  mouths. 
The  low  ground  along  its  banks  is  extensively  culti- 
vated, and  produces  good  crops  of  rice  and  sugar-cane. 
Besides  these  two  large  rivers  there  are  other  important 
streams  in  Luzon,  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the 
Rio  Agno  and  the  Bicol. 

The  Laguna  de  Bay,  distant  but  a few  miles  from 
Manila,  is  probably  the  largest  body  of  fresh  water  in 
the  archipelago,  although  some  of  the  Mindanao  lakes 
are  known  to  approach  it  closely  in  size.  Its  greatest 
length  is  twenty-five  miles,  and  its  greatest  breadth 
twenty-one.  It  empties  into  Manila  Bay  by  the  Pasig 
River,  which  separates  the  newer  portion  of  the  capital 
from  the  old,  and  is  navigable  to  the  lake  for  small 
flat-bottomed  steamers. 

Lake  Bombon,  from  the  centre  of  which  rises  Taal 
volcano,  measures  fourteen  by  eleven  miles. 

The  natural  resources  of  Luzon  are  enormous.  Rich 
deposits  of  gold  and  other  valuable  minerals  have  long 
been  known  to  exist.  The  soil  is  very  productive  and 
yields  the  greater  part  of  the  sugar  raised  in  the  archi- 
pelago, together  with  excellent  abaca , coffee,  and  cacao , 
large  quantities  of  rice,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  more  im- 
portant staple  crops  of  the  colony. 


LUZON 


437 


TAGALOG  HOUSES  ALONG  A CANAL  NEAR  MANILA 


438 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  population,  roughly  estimated  at  5,000,000,  is 
divided  into  numerous  tribes.  Of  these  the  Tacfalo^s 
and  Ilocanos  are  the  most  important.  Both  are  civil- 
ized and,  as  a rule,  orderly,  although  brigandage  is  not 
uncommon  in  the  Tagalog  territory. 

There  are  a few  Negritos  left  in  Mariveles  mountain 
near  the  mouth  of  Manila  Bay,  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Cape  Engano  they  are  still  quite  numerous.  They  are 
commonly  believed  to  be  the  true  aborigines  of  the 
Philippines;  but  even  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  con- 
quest were  getting  the  worst  of  it  in  their  struggle 
with  the  Malay  invaders,  and  are  now  rapidly  disap- 
pearing. They  are  a wretched,  sickly  race,  of  almost 
dwarfish  stature.  Their  skins  are  black,  their  hair  is 
curly,  their  features  are  coarse  and  repulsive.  They 
practise  agriculture  little,  if  at  all,  living  chiefly  on  the 
fruits  and  tubers  which  they  find  in  the  forest,  and  on 
the  game  which  they  bring  down  with  their  poisoned 
arrows.  Mentally  they  stand  at  the  bottom  of  the 
scale,  and  experience  seems  to  have  proved  them  inca- 
pable of  civilization.  Some  of  the  remaining  wild 
tribes  are  of  pure  Malay  extraction,  others  are,  appar- 
ently, half-breed  races  between  Malays  and  Negritos, 
while  one  of  the  Igorrote  peoples  is  believed  to  be 
descended  from  the  followers  of  the  Chinese  invader 
Limahong. 

The  word  “ Igorrote,”  which  was  originally  the  name 
of  a single  tribe,  was  extended  to  include  all  the  head- 


LUZON 


439 


hunting  peoples  of  Luzon,  and  later  became  almost 
synonymous  with  zvild , so  that  when  one  speaks  of  the 
Igorrotes  at  the  present  day,  he  refers  to  a number  of 
fierce  hill-tribes,  which  differ  more  or  less  inter  se. 

Head-hunting  is  practised  by  the  Gaddanes,  but  is 
for  the  most  part  confined  to  the  season  when  the  fire- 
tree  is  in  bloom.  It  is  said  to  be  impossible  for  a young 
man  of  this  tribe  to  find  a bride  until  he  has  at  least 
one  head  to  his  credit.  There  are  a number  of  other 
head-hunting  peoples,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned 
the  Altasanes  and  Apayaos. 

Not  all  of  the  wild  peoples  are  warlike,  however 
the  Tinguianes,  for  instance,  being  a peaceable,  well- 
disposed  race.  Certain  of  the  tribes  can  hardly  be 
blamed  for  their  fierce  hostility  toward  the  Spaniards, 
who  in  their  expeditions  against  them  have  interfered 
with  their  women  in  ways  calculated  to  arouse  the 
hatred  of  any  people. 

The  work  of  our  first  expedition  to  the  Philippines 
ended  in  Luzon,  while  that  of  our  second  began  there. 
I have  already  mentioned  the  fact  that  when  Bourns 
and  I returned  to  Calapan,  at  the  end  of  our  first  visit 
to  Mindoro,  we  found  that  the  monthly  mail-steamer 
had  sailed,  and  that  the  other  members  of  our  party  had 
taken  passage  on  it,  leaving  us  to  follow  after  as  best 
we  could. 

We  were  in  no  condition  to  remain  in  the  island 
another  day,  and  immediately  hired  a stanch  sail-boat 


440 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


with  a good  crew,  in  order  to  cross  to  Batangas  in 
Luzon,  where  we  hoped  to  get  a steamer  for  Manila. 
We  got  off  without  delay,  but  the  luck  was  against  us 
from  the  start.  An  unfavourable  wind  forced  us  to  an- 
chor off  the  west  coast  of  Isla  Verde  through  an  entire 
night.  The  next  day  we  were  caught  in  bad  tide-rips 
near  the  north  coast  of  the  same  island,  and  narrowly 
escaped  going  to  the  bottom.  This  danger  was  hardly 
past  when  a furious  storm  burst  upon  us,  and  after  bat- 
tling with  it  until  we  had  lost  courage  and  hope,  we 
were  finally  driven  ashore  at  some  distance  from  the  town 
we  had  hoped  to  reach.  Our  belongings  were  rescued 
with  difficulty,  and  we  sought  refuge  in  a native  hut, 
which  afforded  shelter,  but  no  food.  It  fell  to  my  lot 
to  go  to  Batangas  and  lay  in  a supply  of  provisions.  On 
the  way  I walked  into  a quicksand,  from  which  I escaped 
with  much  trouble,  leaving  both  of  my  shoes  behind. 

After  performing  my  errand,  I started  back  to  my 
companion,  got  lost  in  the  dark,  and  spent  a good 
part  of  the  night  wandering  barefooted  through  patches 
of  cactus  and  other  spine-bearing  plants.  When  I at  last 
reached  the  hut  where  I had  left  Bourns,  my  strength 
was  nearly  exhausted  and  my  patience  quite  so. 

By  morning  the  wind  had  gone  down  enough  to 
allow  our  sail-boat  to  reach  town,  and  we  established 
ourselves  at  the  tribunal , where  we  spent  two  days  in 
drying  our  sea-soaked  belongings,  and  recovering  from 
the  fatigues  of  our  journey. 


LUZON 


441 


When  we  called  on  the  governor,  to  get  our  pass- 
ports vised  for  the  voyage  to  Manila,  he  strongly 
advised  us  to  visit  Taal  volcano.  We  had  not  realized 
how  near  to  it  we  were,  and  although  our  steamer  was 
due  in  two  days  we  decided  to  attempt  the  trip.  The 
governor  kindly  gave  us  a peremptory  order  to  gobcrna- 
dorcillos , instructing  them  to  furnish  promptly  whatever 
assistance  we  might  need ; and  two  hours  later  we  were 
rattling  along  behind  a good  pair  of  ponies  on  the  way 
to  the  town  of  Taal.  The  road  was  the  best  I have 
ever  seen  in  the  Philippines,  and  we  reached  our  desti- 
nation at  nine  in  the  evening,  after  a very  quick  journey. 
The  gobernadovcillo  directed  us  to  a small  barrio  on  the 
Pansipit  River,  by  which  Bombon  Lake  empties  into  the 
sea.  Here  we  were  to  get  boats.  We  pushed  on  at 
once,  arriving  about  midnight.  The  teniente  to  whom 
we  had  been  directed  was  asleep,  but  we  routed  him  out. 
When  he  discovered  that  we  expected  him  to  hunt  up 
men  for  us  at  that  time  of  night,  he  was  the  most 
disgusted  native  official  I ever  saw;  but  there  was  no 
getting  out  of  it,  so  he  lit  a lantern  and  started  off, 
grumbling  vigorously  all  the  while. 

We  managed  to  snatch  a few  moments’  sleep,  but 
were  on  our  way  up-river  soon  after  three,  and  had 
reached  the  lake  at  sunrise.  Here  we  stopped,  to  let 
the  men  eat  breakfast.  One  of  them  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  land  and  purchase  bananas,  and  disap- 
peared among  a cluster  of  native  huts  near  the  shore. 


442 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


As  he  failed  to  return  within  reasonable  time,  I sent  a 
man  to  hunt  him  up.  He  likewise  disappeared.  The 
piloto  in  charge  of  our  crew  now  informed  us  that  they 
were  convicts,  and  suggested  that  the  two  men  who  had 
gone  ashore  had  probably  improved  the  opportunity  to 
run  away.  I knew  that  they  had  not  left  the  cluster  of 
huts,  however,  and  landing  where  I could  command  the 
only  avenue  of  escape  with  a shotgun,  sent  the  piloto 
to  bring  them  back.  He  found  them  hiding  in  one  of 
the  huts,  and  we  were  soon  off  again. 

The  island  from  which  Taal  volcano  rises  was  in 
plain  sight,  about  seven  miles  away.  We  found  the 
waters  of  the  lake  quite  warm,  and  yellow  with  some 
mineral  substance.  The  natives  told  us  that  they  con- 
tained crocodiles,  but  no  fish,  which  would  seem  rather 
an  improbable  state  of  affairs,  unless  the  supply  of 
native  babies  was  unusually  large.  The  lake  has  no 
visible  inlet,  but  sends  a strong  stream  of  water  down  to 
the  sea,  and  is  evidently  fed  by  subterranean  springs. 

The  air  was  still,  and  an  immense  column  of  smoke 
and  steam  rose  slowly  from  the  crater  of  Taal,  spreading 
out,  high  in  air,  like  a huge  umbrella.  Our  convicts 
were  lazy  and  ill-humoured,  but  we  kept  them  hard  at 
work,  and  reached  the  island  in  due  time.  The  volcano 
is  not  more  than  900  feet  high,  and  we  began  the 
ascent  at  once,  expecting  to  reach  the  top  with  little 
trouble.  Our  guide  led  off  with  great  confidence, 
but  after  making  half  the  distance  we  were  brought  to 


LUZON 


443 


A TYPICAL  RIVER  SCENE  — LUZON 


444 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


a sudden  halt  by  an  impassable  crevasse  in  the  earth. 
We  were  forced  to  retrace  our  steps  and  make  a fresh 
start,  which  ended  as  the  first  had  done.  We  then 
began  to  realize  that  our  guide  knew  no  more  about  the 
volcano  than  we  did,  but  he  insisted  that  we  should 
surely  succeed  next  time ; so  we  gave  him  one  more 
chance,  only  to  be  stopped  by  a wide  fissure  that  spit 
sulphur  fumes,  and  looked  like  a side  entrance  to  the 
bottomless  pit. 

We  now  decided  to  take  matters  into  our  own  hands, 
and  skirted  the  shore  of  the  island  for  some  distance, 
determined  that  we  would  not  again  attempt  the  ascent 
until  there  was  a reasonably  sure  prospect  of  reaching 
the  top.  To  our  surprise,  we  discovered  a native  hut, 
and  its  owner  readily  undertook  to  pilot  us  to  the 
crater’s  edge.  There  was  a fairly  good  path,  when  once 
we  found  it,  and  we  were  soon  looking  down  on  the 
most  impressive  sight  that  I have  ever  witnessed. 

The  crater  was  an  immense  cup-shaped  depression, 
fully  a mile  in  diameter  and  about  eight  hundred  feet 
deep.  Its  almost  perpendicular  walls  were  seamed  and 
gashed  with  gullies  and  crevices,  and  they  stood  guard 
over  a scene  of  utter  desolation,  unrelieved  by  a green 
leaf  or  blade  of  grass.  A second  and  more  recent 
crater  had  been  built  up  inside  of  the  first,  but  half  of  it 
had  disappeared,  leaving  a semicircular  fragment  of  wall 
standing;.  At  the  southern  end  of  this  an  active  cone 
rose  somewhat  sharply,  and  from  it  rolled  up  the  im- 


LUZON 


445 


mense  column  of  vapour  which  we  had  seen  from  the 
edsre  of  the  lake. 

O 

Within  the  large  crater  were  three  lakelets  of  strange- 
coloured  water.  One  was  dirty  brown,  one  intensely 
yellow,  and  one  a most  brilliant  emerald  green.  The 
yellow  and  green  lakelets  were  boiling  away  steadily, 
with  a sullen  roar,  while  our  ears  were  assailed  by  a 
pandemonium  of  other  sounds,  the  sources  of  which  we 
could  not  make  out  with  certainty.  The  scarred  and 
blackened  walls,  with  their  hissing  sulphur  jets,  the 
boiling  lakes  with  their  strange  colours,  and  the  im- 
mense column  of  vapour  combined  to  make  a most  ex- 
traordinary scene,  grand  in  the  extreme,  and  wholly 
beyond  my  powers  of  description. 

We  had  intended  to  content  ourselves  with  gazinsr  at 
it  from  a comparatively  safe  distance,  but  having  seen 
so  much,  we  wanted  to  see  more.  We  decided  to  at- 
tempt descending  to  the  floor  of  the  outside  crater  and 
climbing  what  remained  of  the  wall  of  the  second  one, 
from  which,  we  argued,  we  could  see  all  that  was  worth 
seeing.  At  another  season  such  a thing  would  have 
been  impossible,  for  during  the  rains  the  muddy  lake 
extends,  cutting  off  all  communication  with  the  point 
we  wished  to  reach ; but  fortunately,  although  the  wet 
season  was  on  in  Mindoro,  it  had  hardly  begun  in 
Luzon,  and,  evaporated  by  the  fierce  underground  fires, 
this  lakelet  was  reduced  to  the  smallest  size  which  it 
reached  at  any  time  during  the  year. 


146  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 

In  many  places  the  crater  walls  were  nearly  or  quite 
perpendicular,  but  just  in  front  of  us  the  descent  was 
more  moderate,  and  there  were  traces  of  an  old  path, 
long  since  washed  almost  completely  away.  The  steep 
slope  was  badly  gullied  and  cracked,  but  we  reached  the 
bottom  without  misadventure,  and  were  soon  crawling 
up  the  wall  of  the  second  crater.  It  was  a hard  climb, 
for  the  steep  incline  was  slippery  with  volcanic  mud,  but 
we  persevered. 

Our  men  had  been  horrified  when  we  first  started  on 
our  descent  from  the  outer  wall;  but  seeing  that  no  evil 
befell  us,  they  now  began  to  follow.  Eventually  we 
gained  the  edge  of  the  second  crater.  By  this  time  the 
active  cone  had  begun  to  exert  a strange  fascination 
over  us,  and  we  crept  along  toward  it  for  an  eighth  of 
a mile,  until  we  finally  reached  its  base.  Here  we 
stopped  to  rest. 

The  heat  was  intense.  In  crossings  from  the  wall  we 

O 

had  descended  to  the  one  we  had  just  climbed,  we  had 
found  the  ground  so  hot  that  we  could  not  stand  on  it 
without  scorching  our  shoes.  The  sun  beat  down  upon 
us  unmercifully,  and  the  walls  of  the  outer  crater  cut  off 
the  breeze  which  had  sprung  up,  but  it  evidently  made 
itself  felt  at  the  top  of  the  active  cone;  for  the  column  of 
vapour  was  now  swaying  gently,  and  inclining  away  from 
us.  We  therefore  decided  to  crawl  up  this  cone  and 
cool  off. 

I wonder  why  one  always  wants  to  go  into  such 


LUZON 


447 


places ! Fifteen  minutes  later  we  were  craning  our 
necks  over  the  brink  of  that  entrance  to  the  infernal 
regions,  and  looking  on  a sight  that  few  men  have  seen. 
One  moment  nothing  was  visible  but  a sea  of  rolling, 
eddying  vapour ; the  next,  this  was  torn  asunder  by  some 
unseen  force,  and  we  could  gaze  down,  it  seemed  for 
miles,  catching  an  occasional  glimpse  of  the  eternal  fires 
below.  Heavy  stones  lay  thickly  scattered  about  where 
they  had  fallen  after  being  hurled  out  of  the  crater. 
We  rolled  some  of  them  over  the  edge,  but  could  not 
hear  them  strike.  In  fact,  we  could  hardly  hear  each 
other  when  we  shouted  at  the  top  of  our  voices. 

Our  men  had  crept  after  us,  half  against  their  will, 
but,  like  ourselves,  drawn  on  by  some  irresistible  force; 
nor  could  they  refrain  from  hanging  over  the  edge  of 
the  crater,  and  gazing  into  its  seething  depths.  Their 
eyes  were  like  saucers,  and  at  each  sudden  explosion  in 
the  inferno  below  they  sprang  back  from  the  brink, 
slipping  and  sliding  far  down  the  steep  slopes,  only  to 
crawl  sheepishly  up  again  a few  minutes  later,  and  take 
another  look. 

The  place  had  a wonderful  fascination  for  us  all. 
It  was  not  so  much  what  we  saw  as  what  we  hoped 
to  see,  that  held  us  where  we  knew  sensible  men 
would  not  stay.  What  might  that  ever-shifting  curtain 
of  vapour  not  reveal,  if  it  were  to  draw  aside  for  a 
moment?  We  knew,  however,  that  a sudden  change 
in  the  wind  might  suffocate  us  with  stifling  sulphur 


448 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


fumes,  or  an  unusually  heavy  subterranean  explosion 
throw  the  edge  of  the  crater  on  which  we  were 
perched  into  the  abyss,  and  we  at  last  reluctantly 
dragged  ourselves  away. 

On  the  floor  below  we  found  something  that  sur- 
prised us  greatly.  A pair  of  wagtails  had  made  a nest 
in  a place  where  the  ground  was  so  hot  one  could 
hardly  bear  his  hand  on  it.  Instead  of  building  the 
small,  cup-shaped  structure  which  is  characteristic  of 
the  species,  they  had  heaped  up . a great  pile  of  dry 
grass,  which  must  have  been  gathered  outside  of  the 
volcano.  They  were  flitting  about  quite  unconcern- 
edly, leaving  their  four  eggs  to  be  hatched  by  this 
natural  incubator ! I have  often  wondered  what  pos- 
sessed that  pair  of  birds  to  nest  in  such  a place. 
They  were  apparently  the  only  living  things  within 
the  crater.  Perhaps,  like  ourselves,  they  enjoyed  the 
scenery ! 

We  wanted  to  get  some  of  the  oily-looking  water 
from  the  green  lake  for  analysis,  and  for  a time  thought 
we  should  succeed.  We  had  worked  our  way  nearly  to 
its  steaming  shore  when  the  native  who  carried  our 
bottle  suddenly  broke  through  a thin  crust  of  dry  earth 
into  scalding  mud,  burning  himself  considerably.  The 
man  was  panic-stricken,  and  turning,  ran  for  hard 
ground  at  his  best  pace,  going  through  at  almost  every 
step.  Fortunately  his  injuries  were  not  very  serious. 
We  picked  our  way  back  most  circumspectly,  and 


LUZON 


449 


decided  that  we  would  better  climb  to  the  outer  rim 
before  we  did  any  more  foolish  things. 

We  found  the  getting  up  quite  a different  matter 
from  the  coming  down,  but  after  a hot  climb  reached 
the  top  again.  We  tarried  long  enough  to  eat  lunch, 
but  the  day  was  far  advanced,  and  it  was  high  time  for 
us  to  depart.  After  taking  a last  look  at  the  strange 
scene  before  us,  and  blessing  the  governor  for  sending 
us  there,  we  hastened  back  to  the  lake,  and  started  on 
the  return  trip. 

We  had  the  misfortune  to  get  caught  in  a pitilessly 
cold  rain-storm,  and  suffered  the  more  from  it  because 
we  were  still  so  overheated  when  it  began.  Our  teeth 
were  soon  rattling,  and  we  were  forced  to  take  the 
heavy  sweeps  from  our  men  and  row  ourselves,  in  order 
to  avoid  serious  chills.  It  was  late  at  night  when  we 
reached  the  barrio  where  we  had  hired  our  boat,  but 
before  daylight  we  were  on  the  road  to  Batangas. 
Long  processions  of  coffee-laden  carabaos  plodding 
toward  the  town  told  us  that  our  steamer  was  in 
and  was  taking  on  cargo.  A few  hours  later  we  were 
on  our  way  to  Manila,  and  I was  experiencing  my  first 
attack  of  genuine  Mindoro  fever  — hastened,  no  doubt, 
by  the  exposure  of  the  previous  evening. 

Never,  in  the  course  of  my  wanderings,  have  I 
beheld  such  magnificent  sights  as  I saw  in  the  crater  of 
Taal;  yet,  in  comparison  with  what  has  taken  place 
there  in  bygone  years,  the  wonders  that  we  saw  were 


450 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  merest  bagatelles.  The  volcano  looked  innocent 
enough  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  but  its  record  is  a black 
one.  It  is  seldom  indeed  that  an  intelligent  observer 
has  the  opportunity  and  courage  to  get  a near  view  of  a 
violent  volcanic  eruption,  and  then  escapes  to  tell  what 
he  has  seen.  Much  interest  therefore  attaches  to  the 
manuscript  account  of  the  eruptions  of  1749  and  1754, 
prepared  by  Fray  Francisco  Vencuchillo,  and  preserved 
in  the  archives  of  the  Corporation  of  St.  Augustine,  in 
Manila.  Foreman  has  given  us  a paraphrase  of  this 
account,  which  I venture  to  quote.  He  says:  — 

“ The  last  and  most  desolating  of  all  the  emptions  of  importance 
occurred  in  the  year  1754,  when  the  stones,  lava,  ashes,  and  waves  of 
the  lake,  caused  by  volcanic  action,  contributed  to  the  utter  destruction 
of  the  towns  of  Taal,  Tanauan,  Sala,  and  Lipa,  and  seriously  damaged 
property  in  Balayan,  15  miles  away,  whilst  cinders  are  said  to  have 
reached  Manila,  34  miles  distant  in  a straight  line.  One  writer  says  in 
his  manuscript,  compiled  36  years  after  the  occurrence,  that  people  in 
Manila  dined  with  lighted  candles  at  midday  and  walked  about  the 
streets  confounded  and  thunderstruck,  clamouring  for  confession  during 
the  eight  days  that  the  calamity  was  visible.  The  author  adds  that  the 
smell  of  sulphur  and  fire  lasted  six  months  after  the  event,  and  was 
followed  by  a malignant  fever  to  which  half  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Province  fell  victims.  Moreover,  adds  the  writer,  the  lake  waters 
threw  up  dead  alligators  and  fish,  including  sharks. 

“ The  best  detailed  account  extant  is  that  of  the  parish  priest  of  Sala 
at  the  time  of  the  event.  He  says  that  about  eleven  o’clock  at  night  on 
the  nth  of  August,  1749,  he  saw  a strong  light  on  the  top  of  the  Vol- 
canic Island,  but  did  not  take  further  notice.  He  went  to  sleep,  when 
at  three  o’clock  the  next  morning  he  heard  a gradually  increasing  noise 
like  artillery  firing,  which  he  supposed  would  proceed  from  the  guns  of 
the  galleon  expected  in  Manila  from  Mexico,  saluting  the  Sanctuary  of 


LUZON 


45i 


Our  Lady  of  Cagsaysay,  whilst  passing.  He  only  became  anxious 
when  the  number  of  shots  he  heard  far  exceeded  the  royal  salute,  for  he 
had  already  counted  a hundred  times,  and  still  it  continued.  So  he 
arose,  and  it  occurred  to  him  that  there  might  be  a naval  engagement 
off  the  coast.  He  was  soon  undeceived,  for  four  old  natives  called  out, 
‘ Father,  let  us  flee  ! ’ and  on  his  inquiry  they  informed  him  that  the 
island  had  burst,  hence  the  noise.  Daylight  came  and  exposed  to  view 
an  immense  column  of  smoke  gushing  from  the  summit  of  the  volcano, 
and  here  and  there  from  its  sides  smaller  streams  rose  like  plumes. 
He  was  joyed  at  the  spectacle,  which  interested  him  so  profoundly  that 
he  did  not  heed  the  exhortations  of  the  natives  to  escape  from  the 
grand  but  awful  scene.  It  was  a magnificent  sight  to  watch  mountains 
of  sand  hurled  from  the  lake  into  the  air  in  the  form  of  erect  pyramids 
and  then  falling  again  like  the  stream  from  a fountain  jet.  Whilst  con- 
templating this  imposing  phenomenon  with  tranquil  delight,  a strong 
earthquake  came  and  upset  everything  in  the  convent.  Then  he  re- 
flected that  it  might  be  time  to  go  ; pillars  of  sand  ascended  out  of  the 
water  nearer  to  the  shore  of  the  town  and  remained  erect  until,  by  a 
second  earthquake,  they,  with  the  trees  on  the  islets,  were  violently 
thrown  down  and  submerged  in  the  lake.  The  earth  opened  out  here 
and  there  as  far  as  the  shores  of  the  Laguna  de  Bay,  and  the  lands  of 
Sala  and  Tanauan  shifted.  Streams  found  new  beds  and  took  other 
courses,  whilst  in  several  places  trees  were  engulfed  in  the  fissures 
made  in  the  soil.  Houses  which  one  used  to  go  up  into  one  now  had 
to  go  down  into,  but  the  natives  continued  to  inhabit  them  without  the 
least  concern. 

“ The  Volcano,  on  this  occasion,  was  in  activity  for  three  weeks ; 
the  first  three  days  ashes  fell  like  rain.  After  this  incident,  the  natives 
extracted  sulphur  from  the  open  crater,  and  continued  to  do  so  until 
the  year  1754. 

“In  that  year  (1754),  the  same  chronicler  continues,  between  nine 
and  ten  o’clock  at  night  on  the  15th  of  May,  the  volcano  ejected  boiling 
lava,  which  ran  down  its  sides  in  such  quantities  that  only  the  waters  of 
the  lake  saved  the  people  on  shore  from  being  burnt.  Towards  the 
North,  stones  reached  the  shore  and  fell  in  a place  called  Bayoyongan, 


452 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


in  the  jurisdiction  of  Taal.  Stones  and  fire  incessantly  came  from  the 
crater  until  the  2nd  of  June,  when  a volume  of  smoke  arose  which 
seemed  to  meet  the  skies.  It  was  clearly  seen  from  Bauan-,  which  is 
on  a low  level  about  four  leagues  (14  miles)  from  the  lake. 

“Matters  continued  so  until  the  10th  of  July,  when  there  fell  a 
heavy  shower  of  mud  as  black  as  ink.  The  wind  changed  its  direction, 
and  a suburb  of  Sala,  called  Balili,  was  swamped  with  mud.  This 
phenomenon  was  accompanied  by  a noise  so  great,  that  the  people 
of  Batangas  and  Bauan,  who  had  that  day  seen  the  galleon  from 
Acapulco  passing  on  her  home  voyage,  conjectured  that  she  had 
saluted  the  Sanctuary  of  Our  Lady  of  Cagsaysay.  The  noise  ceased, 

but  fire  still  continued  to  issue  from  the  crater  until  the  25th  of  Sep- 

tember. Stones  fell  all  that  night ; and  the  people  of  Taal  had  to 
abandon  their  homes,  for  the  roofs  were  falling  in  with  the  weight 
upon  them.  The  writer  was  at  Taal  at  this  date,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  column  of  smoke,  a tempest  of  thunder  and  lightning  raged 
and  continued  without  intermission  until  the  4th  of  December. 

“The  night  of  All  Saints’  day  wras  a memorable  one  (Nov.  1st), 
for  the  quantity  of  falling  fire-stones,  sand,  and  ashes  increased,  grad- 
ually diminishing  again  towards  the  15th  of  November.  Then,  on  that 
night,  after  vespers,  great  noises  were  heard.  A long  melancholy  sound 
dinned  in  one’s  ears ; volumes  of  black  smoke  rose ; an  infinite  num- 
ber of  stones  fell  and  great  waves  proceeded  from  the  lake,  beating 

the  shores  with  appalling  fury.  This  was  followed  by  another  great 
shower  of  stones  brought  up  amidst  the  black  smoke,  and  lasted  until 
ten  o’clock  at  night.  For  a short  while  the  devastation  was  suspended 
prior  to  the  last  supreme  effort.  All  looked  half  dead  and  much 
exhausted  after  seven  months  of  suffering  in  the  way  described.  It 
was  resolved  to  take  away  the  Sanctuary  of  Cagsaysay  and  put  in  its 
place  the  second  image  of  Our  Lady. 

“ On  the  29th  of  November,  from  seven  o’clock  in  the  evening  the 
volcano  threw  up  more  fire  than  all  put  together  in  the  preceding 
seven  months.  The  burning  column  seemed  to  mingle  with  the  clouds  ; 
the  whole  of  the  island  was  one  ignited  mass.  A wind  blew.  And  as 
the  priests  and  the  mayor  (Alcalde)  were  just  remarking  that  the  fire 


LUZON 


453 


might  reach  the  town,  a mass  of  stones  was  thrown  up  with  great 
violence ; thunderclaps  and  subterranean  noises  were  heard ; every- 
body looked  aghast,  and  nearly  all  knelt  to  pray.  Then  the  waters 
of  the  lake  began  to  encroach  upon  the  houses,  and  the  inhabitants 
took  to  flight,  the  natives  carrying  away  whatever  chattels  they  could. 
Cries  and  lamentations  were  heard  all  around ; mothers  were  looking 
for  their  children  in  dismay ; half-caste  women  of  the  Parian  were 
calling  for  confession,  some  of  them  beseechingly  falling  on  their  knees 
in  the  middle  of  the  streets.  The  panic  was  intense,  and  was  in  no 
way  lessened  by  the  Chinese,  who  set  up  a yelling  of  their  own  jargonic 
syllables. 

“After  the  terrible  night  of  the  29th  of  November  they  thought  all 
was  over,  when  again  several  columns  of  smoke  appeared,  and  the 
priest  went  off  to  the  Sanctuary  of  Cagsaysay  where  the  prior  was. 
Taal  was  entirely  abandoned,  the  natives  having  gone  in  all  directions 
away  from  the  lake.  On  the  29th  and  30th  of  November  there  was 
complete  darkness  around  the  lake  vicinity,  and  when  light  reappeared 
a layer  of  cinders  about  five  inches  thick  was  seen  over  the  lands  and 
houses,  and  it  was  still  increasing.  Total  darkness  returned  so  that 
one  could  not  distinguish  another’s  face,  and  all  were  more  horror- 
stricken  than  ever.  In  Cagsaysay  the  natives  climbed  on  to  the  house- 
tops and  threw  down  the  cinders,  which  were  over-weighing  the 
structures.  On  the  30th  of  November,  smoke  and  strange  sounds 
came  with  greater  fury  than  anything  yet  experienced,  while  lightning 
flashed  in  the  dense  obscurity.  It  seemed  as  if  the  end  of  the  world 
was  arriving.  When  light  returned,  the  destruction  was  horribly  visible  ; 
the  church  roof  was  dangerously  covered  with  ashes  and  earth,  and 
the  writer  opines  that  its  not  having  fallen  might  be  attributed  to  a 
miracle  ! Then  there  was  a day  of  comparative  quietude,  followed  by 
a hurricane  which  lasted  two  days.  All  were  in  a state  of  melancholy, 
which  was  increased  when  they  received  the  news  that  the  whole  of 
Taal  had  collapsed ; amongst  the  ruins  being  the  Government  House 
and  Stores,  the  Prison,  State  warehouses  and  the  Royal  Rope  Walk, 
besides  the  Church  and  Convent.  . . . 

“With  all  this,  some  daft  natives  lingered  about  the  site  of  the 


454 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS  . 


Village  of  Taal  till  the  last,  and  two  men  were  sepulchered  in  the 
Government  House  rnins.  A woman  left  her  house  just  before  the 
roof  fell  in  and  was  carried  away  by  a flood,  from  which  she  escaped, 
and  was  then  struck  dead  by  a flash  of  lightning.  A man  who  had 
escaped  from  the  Mussulman  pirates,  by  whom  he  had  been  held  in 
captivity  for  years,  was  killed  during  the  eruption.  He  had  settled  in 
Taal,  and  was  held  to  be  a perfect  genius,  for  he  could  mend  a clock  ! 

“ The  road  from  Taal  to  Balayan  was  impassable  for  a while  on 
account  of  the  quantity  of  lava.  Taal,  once  so  important,  was  now 
gone,  and  Batangas,  on  the  coast,  became  the  future  capital  of  the 
province.  The  actual  duration  of  this  last  eruption  was  6 months 
and  17  days.” 

Shortly  after  arriving  in  the  Philippines  for  the 
second  time,  and  while  waiting  to  get  our  things 
through  the  Manila  custom-house,  we  met  an  old 
American  named  Collins.  He  was  living  at  Ouisao,  a 
little  native  village  on  the  Laguna  de  Bay,  and  he 
urged  us  to  make  him  a visit.  Thinking  that  we 
might  perhaps  get  through  the  trying  “ breaking-in  ” 
process  more  satisfactorily  at  a place  where  it  was 
possible  to  have  better  food  and  more  comforts  than 
in  some  tribunal  or  native  hut,  we  accepted  his  invi- 
tation. As  soon  as  our  things  had  passed  customs, 
we  'loaded  them  into  bancas  and  hurried  on  up  the 
river  to  overtake  a big  casco , or  cargo-lighter,  belong- 
ing to  Mr.  Collins,  which  was  already  on  its  way  to 
the  lake.  It  is  not  a difficult  task'  to  catch  a casco , as 
it  has  neither  the  lines  nor  the  speed  of  a yacht. 
The  one  in  which  we  took  passage  was  precisely  like 
that  shown  in  the  centre  of  the  swarm  of  dugouts  on 


LUZON 


455 


page  27,  except  that  it  had  two  rude  masts,  with  mat- 
sails.  Fortunately  the  clumsy  craft  had  nearly  reached 
the  lake  when  we  started,  for  as  it  was  it  took  her  two 
days  to  complete  the  journey  to  Quisao. 

After  our  busy  time  in  Manila  we  were  quite  con- 
tent, however,  to  lie  under  the  shelter  at  her  stern, 
and  enjoy  the  river  and  lake  scenery.  Along  the 
canals  that  lead  from  the  Pasisf  near  Manila  the 
native  houses  are  thickly  clustered,  and  an  excellent 
idea  of  such  a settlement  may  be  gained  from  the 
illustration  on  page  437.  Further  up  the  stream  one 
sees  many  a pretty  bit  like  that  shown  on  page  443, 
where  graceful  bamboos  droop  over  the  water,  and 
passing  bancas  add  life  to  the  scene. 

Mr.  Collins’s  house  proved  to  be  a comfortable 
structure  of  boards  with  a nipa  roof.  (See  page  456.) 
Many  years  before  its  owner  had  been  cheated  out  of 
a valuable  cargo  of  lumber  by  Spanish  officials,  and 
he  had  been  trying  to  get  damages  ever  since,  with 
no  prospect  of  having  his  claim  adjusted  before  the 
Judgment  Day  unless  his  own  government  should 
sometime  take  a hand.  Meanwhile,  poor  and  without 
much  ambition,  he  had  learned  the  native  language, 
fallen  into  native  ways,  and  married  a native  woman. 

We  found  that  we  were  not  the  only  guests,  for 
he  had  staying  with  him  Dr.  X.,  a graduate  of  Har- 
vard College  and  Medical  School,  who  had  been  sent 
on  a long  voyage  in  a sailing-vessel,  in  the  hope  that 


456 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


this  might  cure  him  of  a propensity  to  drink  too 
much  whiskey.  He  had  finally  brought  up  at  Manila, 
cabled  for  money  to  come  home  with,  and  received 


HOUSE  OF  MR.  COLLINS,  OUR  HEADQUARTERS  AT  THE  LAGUNA  DE  BAY 

— LUZON 

it;  whereupon  he  had  gone  up  to  the  Laguna  and 
settled  down  quietly  at  Ouisao.  Here  board  was  in- 
expensive, and  a very  poor  quality  of  rum  was  cheap, 
so  that  his  wants  were  all  supplied. 


LUZON 


457 


It  is  not  unusual  to  find,  in  some  remote  native 
village,  a white  man  dead  to  all  that  ought  to  make 
life  worth  living,  who  has  settled  down,  apparently  in 
contentment,  to  the  life  of  a barbarian,  and  who  shuns 
his  own  kind  as  if  they  had  the  plague. 

I must  do  Dr.  X.  the  justice  to  say  that  he  kept 
sober  during  our  stay.  In  fact,  he  spent  most  of  his 
time  working  on  the  translation  of  an  important  French 
medical  work,  an  employment  that  seemed,  under  the 
circumstances,  a trifle  incongruous. 

I imagine  that  Mr.  Collins’s  desire  to  have  us  visit 
him  was  not  wholly  disinterested.  His  house  had  been 
twice  raided  by  tulisanes  within  a short  time,  and  on 
the  latter  of  the  two  occasions  the  bandits  had  pounded 
him  into  insensibility  with  the  butts  of  their  guns,  and 
had  even  stolen  the  sleeping-mat  from  under  his  wife, 
who  had  a child  but  a few  hours  old.  Tulisanes  sel- 
dom go  where  there  is  any  danger  of  getting  hurt,  and 
they  gave  us  a wide  berth  during  our  stay  at  Quisao. 

A fearful  storm,  lasting  many  days,  interfered  greatly 
with  our  work,  but  the  “ breaking  in  ” was  finally  ac- 
complished, and  we  started  for  Manila  on  a casco  loaded 
with  fire-wood,  sailing  just  at  dusk.  The  sky  was  clear 
at  first,  but  clouds  soon  obscured  it.  There  was  no 
compass  on  board,  our  piloto  lost  his  way,  and  after 
drifting  helplessly  about  for  half  the  night,  we  anchored. 

Morning  found  us  lying  to  windward  of  a rocky 
island,  with  a perfect  gale  of  wind  blowing  dead  on 


458 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


shore.  Our  clumsy  craft  wallowed  in  the  waves  most 
alarmingly  and  it  was  evident  that  something  must  be 
done  at  once,  as  the  anchor  was  dragging  steadily. 
The  men  attempted  to  make  sail,  but  the  casco  drifted 
inshore  so  rapidly  that  they  became  alarmed  and 
anchored  a hundred  yards  nearer  the  rocks.  The 
wind  grew  rapidly  worse,  and  they  again  tried  to 
make  sail,  with  the  same  result  as  before,  except  that 
this  time  the  anchor  would  hardly  hold  at  all ; so  they 
hauled  it  up  once  more,  and  made  their  third  and 
last  attempt  to  get  steerage-way  on  the  old  ark.  It 
was  a vain  effort.  She  struck  the  rocks  with  tremen- 
dous force  stern  on,  and  one  of  her  masts  went  by  the 
board  with  the  first  shock. 

The  shore  was  precipitous  at  that  point,  but  we 
had  a strong  crew,  who  pushed  frantically  against  the 
almost  perpendicular  rocks  with  the  long  bamboos 
ordinarily  used  for  poling,  and  thus  eased  the  casco  a 
little.  Her  thick  wooden  sides  were  intended  to  stand 
hard  knocks,  but  she  had  a seam  the  whole  length 
of  her,  and  every  time  she  struck  we  expected  she 
would  split  in  two. 

We  pounded  along  that  rocky  shore  for  a quarter 
of  a mile,  and  at  last  drifted  into  the  entrance  of  a 
sheltered  cove,  where  we  anchored  in  quiet  water, 
and  then  wondered  how  we  had  done  it.  The  wind 
had  now  become  terrific,  and  was  blowing  in  the 
violent  puffs  which  are  characteristic  of  a typhoon. 


LUZON 


459 


It  veered  around  suddenly,  and  the  waves  soon  reached 
us,  driving  the  casco  ashore  in  the  mud,  and  breaking 
clean  over  her.  With  some  difficulty  we  managed  to 
land,  and  were  fortunate  enough  to  find  in  a pro- 
tected spot  a native  hut,  which  held  together  until 
the  storm  was  over.  We  then  rescued  our  drenched 
belongings,  and  proceeded  on  our  way  in  a more 
manageable  craft. 

On  arriving  at  Manila,  we  found  that  the  storm 
had  wrecked  several  vessels  in  the  bay,  and  had 
flooded  the  streets  of  the  city  until  it  became  necessary 
to  go  about  in  boats. 

We  little  thought  at  this  time  that  our  work  in 
Luzon  was  finished.  On  the  contrary,  we  planned 
a long  trip  into  the  almost  unexplored  regions  to 
the  north.  Two  years  later  we  were  on  the  very 
point  of  starting,  but  were  dissuaded  by  a Spaniard 
who  had  spent  much  of  his  life  near  the  locality  we 
proposed  to  visit.  He  told  us  that  the  season  was 
most  unfavourable,  and  it  was  finally  decided  that  I 
should  make  the  trip  with  Mateo,  after  Bourns  had 
left  for  Borneo,  at  a time  when  the  climatic  conditions 
were  likely  to  be  at  their  best. 

This  would  have  made  the  North  Luzon  trip  my 
final  one,  which  was  an  advantage,  as  there  were 
reasons  for  thinking  that  it  would  involve  some  hard- 
ships, and  that  a change  of  climate  might  be  desir- 
able after  its  conclusion. 


460 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Unfortunately,  an  attack  of  typhoid  fever,  for  which 
I had  neglected  to  make  provision  in  forming  my 
plans,  forced  me  to  leave  the  archipelago  much  sooner 
than  I had  intended.  To  my  everlasting  regret  I 
was  thus  prevented  from  getting  first-hand  information 
concerning  the  strange  tribes  inhabiting  North  Luzon, 
many  of  which  are  hardly  known  even  by  name. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


ROMBLON,  TABLAS,  AND  SIBUYAN 

On  one  of  our  voyages  from  Manila  to  Ilo  Ilo, 
Bourns  and  I chanced  to  pass  near  Sibuyan,  and 
our  attention  was  attracted  by  a splendid  mountain 
peak  which  rose  from  the  centre  of  that  island.  We 
at  once  decided  that  if  practicable  we  would  at  some 
future  time  return  and  visit  what  seemed  likely  to 
prove  a profitable  collecting  ground. 

Before  we  had  been  able  to  carry  out  this  plan 
we  sailed  close  to  Tablas,  and  noted  that  it  was  cov- 
ered with  fine  forest.  Romblon,  situated  on  an  island 
of  the  same  name  lying  between  Sibuyan  and  Tablas, 
is  a port  of  call  for  mail-steamers,  and  we  were  now 
more  than  ever  convinced  that  it  would  be  worth  while 
to  come  to  that  place,  and  use  it  as  a base  of  operations 
in  reaching  the  points  in  Tablas  and  Sibuyan  which 
we  had  selected  as  favourable  for  our  purpose. 

Just  before  the  time  came  to  make  this  trip,  we 
decided  to  divide  our  party.  Bourns  was  to  take  a 
Malay  who  had  been  in  our  employment  for  some 
time,  finish  up  work  that  remained  to  be  done  in 
Tawi  Tawi,  and  then  cross  to  Borneo;  while  I made 

461 


462 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  Tablas-Romblon-Sibuyan  trip,  and  then  collected 
in  Masbate,  Culion,  Busuanga,  North  Luzon,  and  the 
Batanes  and  Babuyanes  islands  lying  between  Luzon 
and  Formosa.  Mateo  was  to  remain  with  me.  It  was 
not  without  regret  that  we  came  to  this  decision,  as 
it  meant  many  lonely  months  for  both  of  us ; but 
there  seemed  no  other  way  to  cover  the  ground  which 
remained  in  the  time  allowed  us. 

A few  hours  after  Bourns  had  sailed,  Mateo  and  I 
got  off  for  Romblon.  In  due  time  we  entered  its  tiny 
harbour,  the  deep  waters  of  which  are  so  completely 
landlocked  as  to  afford  a perfectly  safe  anchorage  in 
the  wildest  typhoon. 

The  town  is  crowded  into  a little  valley,  and  unable 
to  find  room  for  itself  on  level  ground,  straggles  up  the 
neighbouring  hillsides.  It  has  a fair  supply  of  excellent 
water,  piped  to  the  public  scjuare  from  a fine  spring.  At 
the  time  of  my  visit  it  was  a well-built  and  well-kept 
place.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  province  of  Romblon, 
which  includes  not  only  that  island,  but  Tablas,  Sibu- 
yan,  and  a number  of  small  islets  as  well. 

The  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  are 
dependent,  in  one  way  or  another,  on  a wealthy  Span- 
iard, Sor.  Don  Pedro  Sanz,  who  occupies  a handsome 
house  close  to  the  steamer  landing.  I was  so  fortunate 
as  to  have  a letter  of  recommendation  to  this  gentleman, 
but  it  happened  that  he  was  absent  from  home  when 
we  arrived. 


RO  M B LO  N 


463 


I at  once  presented  my  credentials  to  the  governor, 
who  received  me  courteously,  and  promised  to  give  me 
every  assistance  in  his  power.  I then  hired  a house  and 
got  to  work,  or  rather  set  Mateo  to  work,  for  I had  con- 
tracted influenza  in  Manila,  and  was  unable  to  get  out 
much  myself. 

Although  there  is  no  very  high  ground  in  Romblon, 
the  surface  of  the  island  is  terribly  broken,  and  the 
absence  of  roads  makes  it  difficult  to  get  from  place  to 
place  unless  one  goes  by  sea.  Except  for  two  small 
patches,  the  forest  has  been  entirely  cleared  away. 
There  are  numerous  fine  groves  of  cocoanut  trees,  how- 
ever, and  the  dried  meats  of  their  nuts  (copra)  form  the 
chief  export  of  the  island. 

Sor.  Sanz,  or  Don  Pedro  as  I soon  learned  to  call 
him,  returned  at  the  end  of  the  second  day.  I presented 
my  letter  and  he  received  me  most  cordially,  inviting  me 
to  dine  with  him  that  night.  I spent  a delightful  even- 
ing, and  when  I left  he  urged  me  to  come  and  live  at 
his  house ; but  I declined,  on  account  of  the  nature  of 
my  work.  He  then  said  that  in  any  event  he  should 
expect  me  to  take  my  meals  with  him.  I did  not  at 
first  regard  his  invitation  seriously,  but  the  next  day,  at 
one,  his  son  appeared  at  my  house  and  informed  me  that 
the  comida  had  been  ready  for  an  hour,  and  would  con- 
tinue to  await  my  convenience ! At  night  the  same 
young  man  came  early  to  escort  me  to  dinner,  and  after 
receiving  a special  invitation  to  each  meal  for  a couple 


464 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


of  days,  it  dawned  on  me  that  my  kind  host  had  meant 
exactly  what  he  said. 

He  did  everything  in  his  power  to  assist  me  during 
my  stay  in  Romblon,  and  it  was  almost  with  regret  that 
I found  my  health  sufficiently  improved  to  allow  of  my 
crossing  to  Tablas. 

Don  Pedro  had  extensive  interests  both  in  that  island 
and  in  Sibuyan.  In  fact,  he  was  commonly  spoken  of 
as  “ the  King  of  Sibuyan.”  It  had  become  necessary 
for  him  to  own  a small  steamer,  in  order  to  carry  on  his 
immense  business  to  the  best  advantage,  and  he  now 
insisted  on  getting  up  steam  for  my  special  benefit,  and 
sending  me  to  my  destination  in  style.  The  monsoon 
was  blowing  strongly,  and  I was  more  than  glad  to  be 
able  to  make  the  trip  so  comfortably  and  safely.  We 
landed  at  the  town  of  Badajoz,  which  was  tolerably  near 
the  forest,  and  was  supplied  with  water  by  a pure  stream 
from  the  hills.  It  was  but  a small  place,  and  cattle- 
raising seemed  to  be  its  chief  industry. 

I had  hoped  to  be  able  to  resume  work  in  Tablas,  but 
was  forced  to  content  myself  with  remaining  in  the 
house  and  helping  to  care  for  such  specimens  as  Mateo 
brought  in. 

A week  after  my  arrival  I heard  the  whistle  of  a 
steamer,  and  on  going  down  to  the  beach  found  that 
Don  Pedro  had  sent  his  boat  over  on  purpose  to  bring 
me  my  mail,  which  had  reached  Romblon  after  my  de- 
parture. During  our  stay  I tried  in  vain  to  get  tidings  of 


SIB  U YA  N 


465 


a settlement  of  Negritos  which  formerly  existed  among 
the  hills  of  the  island.  No  one  had  seen  anything  of 
them  for  a number  of  years,  and  the  general  opinion  was 
that  they  had  all  died. 

In  due  time  we  returned  to  Romblon,  preparatory  to 
setting  out  for  San  Fernando,  in  Sibuyan.  This  time 
Don  Pedro  was  not  content  with  merely  sending  me  on 
his  steamer.  Much  of  his  own  time  was  spent  in  the 
town  which  I was  about  to  visit.  He  had  a fine  house 
there,  which  was  then  being  occupied  by  his  family.  In 
fact,  they  remained  there  during  a considerable  portion 
of  the  year,  as  the  location  was  extremely  healthful. 
His  son-in-law  happened  to  be  visiting  them,  and  the 
house  was  full,  but  Don  Pedro  had  rented  another  one 
for  us,  just  across  the  street,  and  it  was  all  ready  for 
our  occupation.  He  insisted  on  my  taking  my  meals 
with  him,  as  I had  done  in  Romblon. 

Unfortunately  there  was  no  forest  within  easy  reach 
of  San  Fernando,  the  neighbouring  hillsides  having 
been  cleared  and  planted  with  coffee  or  abaca  ; but  my 
host  was  quite  equal  to  the  occasion.  On  the  day  after 
my  arrival  horses  were  brought  around,  and  we  rode 
over  his  extensive  lands  until  I had  selected  just  the  spot 
I wanted,  when  he  turned  a shepherd  out  of  his  hut,  and 
placed  it  at  our  disposal.  We  moved  in  at  once,  and 
every  day  or  two  our  host  rode  over  to  visit  us,  bring- 
ing us  meat  or  other  supplies. 

Sibuyan  is  a most  interesting  island,  and  is,  in  many 


466 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


ways,  different  from  any  other  which  we  visited.  Cone- 
bearing trees  grow  at  sea-level,  a thing  which  I saw  no- 
where else  in  the  archipelago.  The  great  mountain 
Giting-Giting  looks  as  if  it  might  have  been  miracu- 
lously transported  from  the  American  Rockies.  A 
little  to  the  east  of  it  is  a tremendous  canon,  with 
the  soil  and  vegetation  on  its  opposite  sides  strik- 
ingly different.  From  its  mouth  comes  a river  of  pure 
cold  water,  said  to  rise  in  the  crater  of  an  extinct  vol- 
cano. I was  most  anxious  to  follow  this  stream  to  its 
source  and  verify  the  story,  but  having  just  recovered  my 
health,  was  not  in  good  condition  for  so  hard  a trip,  while 
Don  Pedro  urged  me  not  to  undertake  it  for  another 
reason.  The  rains  were  beginning,  and  it  seemed  that 
at  this  season  the  river  had  a way  of  rising  with  aston- 
ishing swiftness.  More  than  once  people  had  been 
drowned  at  the  crossing  near  my  house  by  the  sweeping 
down  of  a sudden  flood  while  they  were  in  mid-stream ; 
and  if  I once  entered  the  canon  there  was  danger  that 
high  water  might  imprison  me  there. 

In  the  neighbouring  forests  dwelt  some  wild  natives 
called  Mangyans,  although  apparently  in  no  way  related 
to  the  Mindoro  tribe  which  bear  the  same  name.  The 
men,  whom  I met  on  several  occasions,  wore  shirt  and 
pantaloons,  and  were  armed  with  bows,  arrows,  and 
lances.  They  were  a thievish  set,  and  caused  Don 
Pedro  much  annoyance  by  stealing  his  cattle.  The 
women  I never  saw. 


SI  B UY  A N 


467 


Negritos  formerly  existed  in  Sibuyan,  but  have  long 
since  disappeared. 

It  proved  impracticable  to  work  at  any  considerable 
height  on  Giting-Giting,  as  storms  hardly  ceased  to  rage 
about  its  summit  during  our  stay.  Fortunately  the 
weather  at  sea-level  continued  fairly  good,  and  we  were 
successful  with  our  collecting. 

The  people  of  San  Fernando  were  all  dependents  of 
Don  Pedro,  and  it  was  interesting  to  note  the  friendly 
relations  which  existed  between  master  and  servants. 
The  kindly  Spaniard  knew  by  name  every  old  grand- 
mother and  every  tiny  child  that  we  met,  and  for  each 
of  them  he  had  a pleasant  word.  He  seemed  to  take 
a genuine  interest  in  the  petty  affairs  of  his  people,  and 
they  fairly  worshipped  him.  Although  his  great  estates 
were  scattered  over  Tablas,  Romblon,  and  Sibuyan,  all 
of  them  were  kept  under  his  personal  supervision.  His 
native  helpers  were  everywhere  contented  and  prosper- 
ous, and  the  results  accomplished  during  his  thirty-nine 
years  of  residence  in  the  Philippines  served  to  show  what 
might  have  been  brought  about  in  the  colony  at  large 
had  the  conquering  nation  contained  more  men  like  him. 

Every  morning  he  called  his  sons  and  daughters 
together  for  study.  A room  was  set  apart  for  “ school,” 
and  he  himself  served  as  teacher.  I doubt  if  there  was 
at  that  time  another  Spaniard  in  the  Philippines  who 
took  enough  interest  in  the  education  of  his  children 
to  conduct  it  himself. 


468 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


At  the  end  of  three  weeks  the  refreshing  breezes 
which  swept  down  from  Giting-Giting,  the  excellent  food 
for  which  we  had  to  thank  Don  Pedro,  and  especially 
the  exhilarating  baths  in  the  chilly  river  had  put  us  into 
excellent  physical  condition.  We  had  secured  a good 
set  of  lowland  birds,  and  as  work  in  the  highlands  was 
out  of  the  question,  we  sailed  for  Romblon,  stopping  on 
the  north  coast  of  Sibuyan,  where  Don  Pedro  had  yet 
another  fine  house  and  extensive  plantations. 

On  reaching  our  destination,  we  found  that  the  prov- 
ince had  a new  governor.  Rather  an  interesting  series 
of  events  had  preceded  the  change  in  officials.  I have 
elsewhere  mentioned  the  fact  that  the  Philippine  natives 
are  made  to  pay  burdensome  taxes.  The  total  amount 
extorted  from  them  annually  is  very  large.  What  becomes 
of  it  ? The  correct  answer  to  this  question  would  make 
an  interesting  story,  but  unfortunately  no  one  can  fur- 
nish it.  Certain  it  is  that  comparatively  little  of  the 
whole  sum  is  applied  in  the  way  it  should  be,  while  large 
amounts  annually  find  their  way  into  the  pockets  of 
provincial  officials. 

The  Spanish  government  has  long  been  in  the  habit 
of  employing  one  set  of  officials  to  watch  another.  In 
actual  practice  this  sometimes  amounts  to  setting  a 
thief  to  catch  a thief,  as  will  shortly  appear.  With  a 
view  to  breaking  up  combinations,  and  preventing  the 
government  employes  in  any  one  province  from  pil- 
fering too  extensively,  they  are  all  kept  forever  on  the 


ROMBLON 


469 


move.  It  is  two  years  here,  six  months  there,  and 
twelve  somewhere  else.  They  are  expected  to  steal 
more  or  less.  That  is  what  they  are  there  for,  in 
most  instances,  and  they  do  not  hesitate  to  admit  it. 
Time  and  again  I have  heard  them  say  of  themselves, 
when  discussing  this  matter,  “ We  are  a nation  of 
thieves  ” ; and  if  I may  judge  from  what  I myself 
saw,  much  might  be  said  in  support  of  this  view  of 
the  case ! If  peculation  becomes  too  extensive,  how- 
ever, so  that  the  perquisites  of  those  in  high  places 
are  interfered  with,  an  investigation  is  ordered. 

The  meek-looking  little  governor  whom  we  had  found 
in  Romblon  had  shown  more  zeal  than  discretion  in 
appropriating  the  public  funds,  and  a fiscal , or  censurer, 
had  unexpectedly  appeared  to  examine  into  the  affairs 
of  his  province.  The  showing  was  a sorry  one,  and 
the  delinquent  was  ordered  to  Manila.  The  fiscal  who 
had  investigated  him  was  the  governor  of  a neighbour- 
ing  province.  When  his  labours  in  Romblon  were 

over,  he  returned  to  his  home  only  to  find  another 
fiscal  examining  his  record ; and  it  proved  that  he 
was  a bigger  rascal  than  the  man  he  had  just  con- 
demned. So  it  always  goes.  Misappropriation  of  the 
public  funds  is  by  no  means  confined  to  officials  in 
the  provinces.  Many  of  those  in  Manila  find  ways 
of  bettering  their  financial  status  more  rapidly  than 
would  be  possible  if  they  depended  on  their  salaries 
alone.  And  herein  lies  one  important  cause  of  the 


470 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


conditions  existing  in  the  Philippines  to-day.  Had  the 
affairs  of  the  provinces  been  honestly  administered, 
there  would  now  be  roads,  bridges,  water-works,  public 
schools,  and  many  other  things  for  the  lack  of  which 
the  colony  has  long  suffered. 

But  from  the  beginning  until  now,  the  archipelago 
has  served  the  horde  of  hungry  Spanish  officials  as  a 
plundering  ground.  The  following  account  of  condi- 
tions in  the  earlier  days,  translated  by  Foreman  from  the 
writings  of  Eusebio  Mazorca,  is  interesting,  especially 
since  Mazorca  was  himself  a Spaniard.  He  says:  — 

“ The  salary  paid  to  the  Chiefs  of  Provinces  (governors)  who  enjoy 
the  right  of  trade  is  more  or  less  $300  per  annum  ; and  after  deduct- 
ing the  amount  paid  for  the  trading  right,  which  in  some  Provinces 
amounts  to  five-sixths  of  the  whole  — as  in  Pangasinan ; and  in  others 
to  the  whole  of  the  salary  — as  in  Caraga ; and  discounting  again  the 
taxes,  it  is  not  possible  to  honestly  conceive  how  the  appointment  can 
be  so  much  sought  after.  There  are  candidates  up  to  the  grade  of 
Brigadiers,  who  relinquish  a $3000  salary  to  pursue  their  hopes  and 
projects  in  Governorship. 

“ Each  Chief  of  a Province  is  a real  Sultan,  and  when  he  has  termi- 
nated his  administration,  all  that  is  talked  of  in  the  capital  is  the  thou- 
sands of  dollars  clear  gain  which  he  made  in  his  Government. 

“ The  Governor  receives  payment  of  the  tribute  in  rice  paddy,  which 
he  credits  to  the  native  at  two  reales  in  silver  per  caban.  Then  he 
pays  this  sum  into  the  Royal  Treasury  in  money,  and  sells  the  rice 
paddy  for  private  account  at  the  current  rate  of  six,  eight,  or  more 
reales  in  silver  per  caban,  and  this  simple  operation  brings  him  200  to 
300  per  cent  profit. 

“ Now  quite  recently  the  Interventor  of  Zamboanga  is  accused  by 
the  Governor  of  that  place  of  having  made  some  $15,000  to  $16,000 
solely  bv  using  false  measures.  . . . The  same  Interventor  to  whom 


ROMBLON 


47i 


I refer,  is  said  to  have  made  a fortune  or  $50,000  to  $60,000  whilst 
his  salary  as  second  official  in  the  Audit  Department  is  $540  per 
annum.” 

The  Royal  Order  of  1844,  forbidding  governors  to 
engage  in  trade  under  penalty  of  dismissal,  has  checked 
some  abuses,  but  others  have  taken  their  place.  Of  the 
existing  state  of  affairs  Foreman  says  : — 

“ If  the  peculations  by  the  Government  employes  from  the  highest 
circles  downwards  could  be  arrested,  the  inhabitants  of  this  Colony 
would  doubtless  be  several  millions  richer  per  annum.  One  is  fre- 
quently hearing  of  officials  leaving  for  Spain  with  sums  far  exceeding 
the  total  emoluments  they  have  received  during  their  term  of  office. 
Some  provincial  employes  acquire  a pernicious  habit  of  annexing  what 
is  not  theirs,  by  all  manner  of  pretexts.  To  cite  one  of  many  instances  : 
I knew  a Governor  of  Negros  Island  who  seldom  saw  a native  pass  the 
Government  House  with  a good  horse  without  begging  it  of  him  — thus, 
under  fear  of  his  avenging  a refusal,  his  subjects  furnished  him  little  by 
little  with  a large  stud,  which  he  sold  before  he  left,  much  to  their 
disgust.” 

Unless  General  Weyler  was  grossly  slandered  by  his 
own  countrymen,  his  financiering  was  more  strikingly 
successful  than  that  of  any  other  Governor-General 
of  recent  times.  He  was  credited  with  having  put 
by  a sum  running  into  the  millions.  His  successor, 
Despujol,  was  an  upright  man.  It  is  said  that  shortly 
after  his  arrival  at  Manila  the  head  Chinaman  of  the 
city  called  on  him,  bringing  a little  present  of  ten 
thousand  dollars  in  silver  as  a slight  attention  to  the 
new  official.  He  got  his  face  slapped  for  his  pains. 


472 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


This  occurrence  shed  some  light  on  the  methods  of 
Despujol’s  predecessor. 

It  would  be  easy  to  multiply  illustrations  indefinitely, 
but  those  given  will  suffice.  The  whole  financial  admin- 
istration is  rotten  from  skin  to  core. 

A little  incident  which  occurred  just  before  we  left 
Romblon  will  perhaps  serve  as  an  indication  of  the 
way  certain  other  matters  are  managed  in  the  provinces. 
Fourteen  pounds  of  gunpowder  was  stolen  from  one 
of  my  chests,  and  I had  good  reason  for  suspecting  a 
Tagalog  servant  of  the  theft.  I called  on  the  governor 
and  asked  his  advice  in  the  matter.  “ Oh,  bring  him 
over,”  he  said,  “ and  we  will  torture  him  a little.”  I 
inquired  what  form  of  torture  would  be  employed,  and 
he  said  he  thought  a thumb-screw  would  prove  effective ! 
I decided  to  let  the  powder  go,  and  contented  myself 
with  leaving  the  boy  behind  when  I sailed  for  Manila. 

I have  thus  far  said  little  of  the  character  of  the 
civilized  natives,  and  before  taking  up  our  experiences 
in  the  Calamianes  Islands,  where  we  were  most  of 
the  time  among  semi-savage  people,  I wish  to  pass 
briefly  in  review  the  main  characteristics  of  the  partially 
Christianized  islanders,  whose  number  is,  approximately, 
five  millions,  or  quite  half  that  of  the  total  population. 

The  writers  in  our  current  literature,  who  lump  the 
whole  population  of  the  Philippines  as  barbarians  and 
savages,  are  grossly  in  error,  and  it  may  be  worth  while, 
in  passing,  briefly  to  summarize  the  facts. 


ROMBLON 


473 


The  total  population  of  the  archipelago  is  not  defi- 
nitely known,  as  census  returns  are  necessarily  inac- 
curate, but  it  is  usually  estimated  at  from  eight  to  ten 
millions.  It  is  divided  between  more  than  eighty  dis- 
tinct tribes,  which,  for  purposes  of  discussion,  may 
be  conveniently  grouped  as  Negritos,  Mohammedan 
Malays,  pagan  Malays,  and  civilized  Malays. 

The  Negritos  come  at  the  bottom  of  the  scale 
mentally,  and  there  are  good  reasons  for  believing  them 
to  be  incapable  of  civilization ; but  this  fact  is  of  little 
importance,  as  they  are  rapidly  disappearing,  and  seem 
destined  to  speedy  extinction. 

I have  elsewhere  given  in  some  detail  my  estimate 
of  the  Mohammedan  Malays,  or  Moros.  I consider 
it  certain  that  the  nation  which  would  have  any  hope 
of  getting  on  peaceably  with  them  must  let  their  religion 
strictly  alone ; certain,  too,  that  for  many  years  to  come 
they  must  be  held  in  check  with  a strong  hand.  Gen- 
eral Arolas  has  inaugurated  the  only  sane  policy  to 
pursue  in  dealing  with  them.  Its  main  features  are 
absolute  justice,  combined  with  relentless  firmness. 
The  preservation  of  order  in  Tawi  Tawi,  Sulu,  Basilan, 
and  certain  parts  of  Mindanao  will  require  the  presence 
of  a considerable  body  of  troops  for  many  years  to 
come.  It  should  be  clearly  borne  in  mind,  however, 
that  the  territory  occupied  by  the  Moros  in  Mindanao 
is  but  a small  part  of  its  total  area. 

As  for  the  pagan  Malay  tribes,  their  number  is  large, 


474 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


and  they  differ  widely  in  character.  Many  of  them 
are  admittedly  harmless  and  docile.  Others  have  a bad 
reputation  which  they  do  not  really  deserve,  while  others 
yet  show  dangerous  hostility  toward  white  men.  Un- 
fortunately, in  not  a few  instances  they  have  the  best 
of  reasons  for  their  dislike ; but  fair  treatment  would 
in  time  go  far  toward  overcoming  it.  It  would  be 
folly  to  deny,  however,  that  there  are  some  pagan 
tribes  which  are  naturally  warlike  and  intractable. 
So  far  as  I know,  they  are  confined  to  Mindanao  and 
Luzon,  and  chiefly  to  the  highlands  of  these  islands. 

One  who  reads  Blumentritt’s  “ Alphabetisches  Ver- 
zeichniss  der  eingeborenen  Stamme  der  Philippinen  ” 
and  notes  the  number  of  tribes  characterized  as  “ krie- 
gerische,  blutdiirstige  Kopfjagerstamme,”  is  likely  to 
get  an  exaggerated  idea  of  their  importance.  There 
is  a not  unnatural  tendency  to  make  them  out  worse 
than  they  really  are,  while  the  casual  reader  does  not, 
perhaps,  realize  that  many  of  them  are  numerically 
insignificant  peoples,  quite  content  to  practise  their 
peculiarly  objectionable  customs  on  their  immediate 
neighbours,  without  molesting  the  inhabitants  of  the 
civilized  districts. 

It  has  been  recently  suggested  that  the  best  disposi- 
tion to  make  of  the  warlike  hill-tribes  might  be  to 
convert  them  into  soldiers,  as  has  been  done  with 
similar  peoples  in  India.  Their  natural  propensities 
might  then  be  utilized  to  the  best  advantage,  and 


RO  M B LO  N 


475 


abundant  occupation  might  be  found  for  them  in  the 
Moro  country. 

On  the  whole,  it  is,  I think,  fair  to  say  that  the  only 
really  important  problem  presented  by  the  wild  Malay 
tribes  is  that  of  their  ultimate  civilization  — a problem 
which  time  alone  can  solve. 

The  important  questions  which  intimately  concern 
the  future  of  the  Philippines,  result  from  the  character 
of  the  five  millions  of  civilized  natives,  and  the  con- 
ditions existing  in  the  regions  which  they  now  inhabit. 
I trust  that  my  readers  have  gained  some  idea  of 
these  conditions,  but  I have  as  yet  said  but  little 
concerning  the  character  of  the  people  themselves. 

They  belong  for  the  most  part  to  three  tribes,  the 
Tagalogs,  Ilocanos,  and  Visayans.  Some  attempt  has 
been  made  to  draw  fine  distinctions  between  the  Taga- 
logs and  Visayans,  rather  to  the  discredit  of  the  latter 
people,  but  I confess  that  it  seems  to  me  a little  far- 
fetched. Certainly  it  would  be  a great  mistake  to  main- 
tain that  the  Tagalogs  of  Mindoro  were  superior  to  the 
Visayans  of  Cebu.  Some  differences  will  inevitably  be 
found  between  the  inhabitants  of  different  islands,  or 
even  of  different  parts  of  the  same  island,  yet  I think 
that  the  civilized  natives  show  sufficient  homogeneity  to 
be  treated  as  a class.  I shall  first  consider  certain  of  their 
characteristics  which  do  not  impress  one  favourably. 

Foreman  states  that  after  years  of  faithful  service,  a 
trusted  native  employe  will  sometimes  rob  his  master, 


476 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


or  commit  some  horrid  crime  against  him,  betraying 
him  into  the  hands  of  brigands,  for  instance.  This  is 
doubtless  true,  but  such  occurrences  are  certainly  far 
from  common,  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  are  they  by  any 
means  confined  to  the  Philippines. 

The  same  author  states  that  the  native  is  refractory 
toward  mental  improvement.  It  is  difficult  to  see  on 
what  ground  a general  statement  of  this  sort  can  be 
based,  for,  as  a rule,  he  has  no  opportunity  to  improve 
his  mind.  The  great  mass  of  the  people  have  been 
deliberately  kept  in  ignorance  from  the  time  of  the 
Spanish  discovery  until  now.  Some  of  them  are  doubt- 
less very  stupid.  On  the  whole,  I believe  that  they  are 
naturally  fairly  intelligent,  and  they  are  often  most 
anxious  for  an  opportunity  to  get  some  education.  On 
a number  of  occasions  we  secured  good  servants  who 
asked  for  nothing  but  food  and  an  opportunity  to  pick 
up  a little  English  or  Spanish. 

The  civilized  natives  seldom  voluntarily  confess  faults, 
and  often  lie  most  unconscionably  to  conceal  some 
trivial  shortcoming.  In  fact,  they  frequently  lie  without 
any  excuse  whatever,  unless  it  be  the  aesthetic  satis- 
faction derived  from  the  exercise  of  their  remarkable 
talent  in  this  direction.  When  one  of  them  is  detected 
in  a falsehood,  he  is  simply  chagrined  that  his  perform- 
ance was  not  more  creditably  carried  out.  He  feels 
no  sense  of  moral  guilt,  and  cannot  understand  being 
punished  for  what  is  not,  to  his  mind,  an  offence. 


RO  M B LO  N 


477 


A servant  of  mine  once  sulked  for  days  because  1 
had  beaten  him  for  telling  me  a most  inexcusable  lie. 
Some  time  later,  in  attempting  to  carry  me  across  a 
stream,  he  stubbed  his  toe  and  fell,  pitching  me  into 
the  water,  and  sadly  demoralizing  my  spotless  white 
suit.  I treated  the  affair  as  a joke,  but  my  laughter 
seemed  to  cause  him  more  anxiety  than  reproaches 
would  have  done.  He  acted  strangely  all  the  evening, 
and  when  I was  about  to  retire,  presented  me  with  a 
rattan  and  asked  me  to  give  him  his  whipping  then , 
as  it  made  him  nervous  to  wait , and  he  wanted  to 
have  it  over  with  ! This  serves  to  illustrate  the  well- 
known  truth  that  a native  will  submit  without  a mur- 
mur to  punishment  for  a fault  which  he  recognizes 
as  such.  Too  much  kindness  is  very  likely  to  spoil 
him,  and  he  thinks  more  of  a master  who  applies  the 
rattan  vigorously,  when  it  is  deserved,  than  of  one 
who  does  not.  On  the  other  hand,  he  is  quick  to 
resent  what  he  considers  to  be  injustice,  and  is  quite 
capable  of  biding  his  time  until  he  can  make  his  ven- 
geance both  swift  and  sure. 

It  is  often  said  that  he  lacks  originality.  If  this 
means  that  he  has  never  made  any  extensive  contribu- 
tions toward  the  advancement  of  science,  literature, 
or  art,  the  charge  must  be  admitted,  — although  the 
Tagalog  race  has  developed  one  painter  of  merit,  an 
author  of  no  mean  ability,  and  some  wood-carvers 
who  have  done  admirable  work.  But  the  average 


478 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


native,  situated  as  he  is,  could  not  be  expected  to  make 
any  advancement  along  such  lines.  Within  his  own 
sphere  he  is  certainly  ingenious,  and  ever  ready  with 
a remedy  for  any  mishap  which  may  occur. 

He  frequently  shows  himself  irresponsible  in  financial 
affairs,  spending  money  that  he  should  save,  and  bor- 
rowing what  he  is  not  likely  to  be  able  to  repay.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  seldom  repudiates  his  debts,  and  if 
called  upon  to  meet  them  does  his  best.  He  has  a 
curious  prejudice  against  asking  outright  for  a gift, 
preferring  to  call  it  a “ loan.”  My  men  used  even  to 
ask  me  to  “ lend  ” them  their  wages  when  due. 

It  is  very  often  charged  that  the  civilized  native  is 
hopelessly  indolent.  Indolent  he  surely  is,  but  whether 
hopelessly  so  is  another  question.  And  first  let  me 
say  that  I have  never  yet  seen  a white  man  who  was 
disposed  to  exert  himself  unnecessarily  in  the  Philip- 
pines. Had  I found  such  a one,  I should  have  con- 
sidered him  very  foolish.  No  one  can  work  there  as 
he  would  in  a temperate  climate  and  live. 

Nature  has  done  so  much  for  her  children  in  these 
islands  that  they  have  no  need  to  labour  hard  in  order 
to  supply  their  few  and  simple  wants.  There  is  no  use 
in  piling  up  money  for  the  tax-gatherer  or  the  village 
friar  to  make  way  with,  and  I am  bound  to  say  that 
under  existing  circumstances  they  do  well  to  take  life 
as  comfortably  as  possible. 

Their  laziness  might  be  remedied  by  increasing  their 


ROMBLON 


479 


necessities.  I do  not  mean  that  they  should  be  loaded 
down  with  heavier  taxes.  They  have  a natural  preju- 
dice against  paying  something  for  nothing,  which  is 
about  what  taxation  has  amounted  to  with  them  in  the 
past.  If,  however,  they  could  be  made  to  feel  new 
wants  of  their  own,  they  would  work  to  satisfy  them. 
In  Siquijor,  Bohol,  and  other  islands,  where  hard  natural 
conditions  make  it  difficult  to  earn  a livelihood,  the 
people  are  noted  for  their  industry,  and  are  conse- 
quently in  demand  as  labourers. 

The  civilized  Philippino  certainly  has  many  good 
qualities  to  offset  his  bad  traits.  The  traveller  cannot 
fail  to  be  impressed  by  his  open-handed  and  cheerful 
hospitality.  He  will  go  to  any  amount  of  trouble,  and 
often  to  no  little  expense,  in  order  to  accommodate  some 
perfect  stranger,  who  has  not  the  slightest  claim  on  him; 
and  he  never  turns  one  of  his  own  race  from  his  door. 

If  cleanliness  be  next  to  godliness,  he  certainly  has 
much  to  recommend  him.  Every  village  has  its  bath, 
if  there  is  any  chance  for  one,  and  men,  women,  and 
children  patronize  it  liberally.  Should  the  situation  of 
a town  be  unfortunate  in  this  particular,  its  people  will 
carry  water  from  a great  distance  if  necessary,  and  in 
any  event  will  keep  clean. 

Hardly  less  noticeable  than  the  almost  universal  hos- 
pitality are  the  well-regulated  homes  and  the  happy 
family  life  which  one  soon  finds  to  be  the  rule.  Children 
are  orderly,  respectful,  and  obedient  to  their  parents. 


480 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


Wives  are  allowed  an  amount  of  liberty  hardly  equalled 
in  any  other  Eastern  country,  and  they  seldom  abuse  it. 
More  often  than  not  they  are  the  financiers  of  their 
families,  and  I have  frequently  been  referred,  by  the 
head  of  a house,  to  “ mi  mujer  ” when  I wished  to 
make  a bargain.  Women  have  their  share  of  the 
work  to  do,  but  it  is  a just  share,  and  they  perform 
it  without  question  and  without  grumbling. 

At  vespers  in  the  evening  there  is  always  a pretty 
scene.  An  instant  hush  comes  over  the  busy  village. 
In  each  house  father,  mother,  and  children  fall  on  their 
knees  before  the  image  or  picture  of  some  saint,  and 
repeat  their  prayers.  The  devotions  over,  each  child 
kisses  the  hand  of  his  father  and  his  mother,  at  the 
same  time  wishing  them  good  evening.  He  then  makes 
an  obeisance  to  each  of  his  brothers  and  sisters,  as  well  as 
to  each  guest  who  happens  to  be  present,  repeating  his 
pleasant  salutation  with  each  funny  bow.  Host  and 
hostess  also  greet  one  in  the  same  way,  and  in  remote 
places,  where  white  men  are  a rarity,  the  little  tots  often 
kneel  to  kiss  one’s  hand. 

The  civilized  native  is  self-respecting  and  self-re- 
strained  to  a remarkable  degree.  He  is  patient  under 
misfortune,  and  forbearing  under  provocation.  While  it 
is  stretching  the  truth  to  say  that  he  never  reveals 
anger,  he  certainly  succeeds  much  better  in  controlling 
himself  than  does  the  average  European.  When  he 
does  give  way  to  passion,  however,  he  is  as  likely  as  not 


ROMBLON 


481 


to  become  for  the  moment  a maniac,  and  to  do  some 
one  a fatal  injury. 

He  is  a kind  father  and  a dutiful  son.  His  aged 
relatives  are  never  left  in  want,  but  are  brought  to  his 
home,  and  are  welcome  to  share  the  best  that  it  affords 
to  the  end  of  their  days. 

Among  his  fellows,  he  is  genial  and  sociable.  He 
loves  to  sing,  dance,  and  make  merry.  He  is  a born 
musician,  and  considering  the  sort  of  instruments  at  his 
disposal,  and  especially  the  limited  advantages  which  he 
has  for  perfecting  himself  in  their  use,  his  performances 
on  them  are  often  very  remarkable. 

He  is  naturally  fearless,  and  admires  nothing  so  much 
as  bravery  in  others.  Under  good  officers  he  makes  an 
excellent  soldier,  and  he  is  ready  to  fight  to  the  death 
for  his  honour  or  his  home. 

I once  saw  a man  in  Culion  who  was  seamed  and 
gashed  with  horrible  scars  from  head  to  foot.  How 
any  one  could  possibly  survive  such  injuries  as  he  had 
received  I do  not  know.  It  seemed  that  his  wife  and 
children  had  been  butchered  by  four  Moros  while 
he  was  absent.  He  returned  just  as  the  murderers 
were  taking  to  their  boat.  Snatching  a machete,  he 
plunged  into  the  water  after  them,  clambered  into  their 
prau,  and  killed  them  all.  When  one  remembers  the 
sort  of  weapons  that  Moros  carry,  the  thing  seems 
incredible,  but  a whole  village  full  of  people  vouched 
for  the  truth  of  the  story. 


482 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


With  all  their  amiable  qualities  it  is  not  to  be  denied 
that  at  present  the  civilized  natives  are  utterly  unfit  for 
self-government.  Their  universal  lack  of  education  is 
in  itself  a difficulty  that  cannot  be  speedily  overcome, 
and  there  is  much  truth  in  the  statement  of  a priest  who 
said  of  them  that  “ in  many  things  they  are  big  children 
who  must  be  treated  like  little  ones.” 

Not  having  the  gift  of  prophecy,  I cannot  say  how  far 
or  how  fast  they  might  advance,  under  more  favourable 
circumstances  than  those  which  have  thus  far  sur- 
rounded them.  They  are  naturally  law-abiding  and 
peace-loving,  and  would,  I believe,  appreciate  and  profit 
by  just  treatment. 

In  the  four  months  which  separate  May  1,  1898,  from 
the  day  when  the  manuscript  for  this  volume  leaves 
my  hands,  important  events  have  crowded  on  each 
other’s  heels  as  never  before  in  the  history  of  the 
archipelago.  Whatever  may  be  the  immediate  outcome, 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  having  learned  something  of  his 
power,  the  civilized  native  will  now  be  likely  to  take  a 
hand  in  shaping  his  own  future.  I trust  that  oppor- 
tunities which  he  has  never  enjoyed  may  be  given  to 
him.  If  not,  may  he  win  them  for  himself. 


CHAPTER  XX 


CULION  AND  BUSUANGA 

The  province  of  Calamianes  includes  the  numerous 
islands  lying  between  the  Mindoro  Sea  on  the  north, 
Mindoro  and  Panay  on  the  east,  the  Sulu  Sea  on 
the  south,  and  Palawan  and  the  China  Sea  on  the 
west.  The  capital  of  the  province  is  at  Cuyo,  an 
island  already  described  in  Chapter  III.  The  most 
important  islands  of  the  province  are  Culion  and 
Busuanga.  The  Steere  expedition  did  not  attempt 
to  work  on  them,  but  on  our  second  trip  through 
the  archipelago  Bourns  and  I stopped  for  a month 
at  Culion. 

The  town  of  Culion  lies  on  the  northeast  coast  of 
the  island.  It  stands  on  high  ground,  and  is  a very 
healthful  place.  Its  people  are,  for  the  most  part, 
dependents  of  two  wealthy  half-castes,  who  furnish 
them  food,  pay  their  taxes,  and  make  them  work  from 
one  year’s  end  to  the  other  to  square  the  account. 
There  are  a couple  of  wretched  Chinese  shops  in  the 
place,  but  it  has  no  market,  and  one  cannot  buy  fruit, 
chickens,  eggs,  bread,  or  even  fish.  In  short  it  is  a 
“ hungry  town.” 


483 


4S4 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  most  interesting  thing  about  it  is  a well-pre- 
served stone  fort  (see  below),  built  in  1744  as  a de- 
fence against  the  Moros.  Although  Mohammedan 
pirates  are  no  longer  to  be  feared,  it  is  still  of  use ; 
for  expeditions  of  tulisanes  from  Mindoro  often  raid 


THE  OLD  STONE  FORT  AT  CULION 

the  villages  of  Culion  and  Busuanga.  It  will  be 
noted  that  the  church  is  built  inside  of  the  fort  — a 
convenient  arrangement  should  the  inhabitants  be 
besieged  there  on  Sunday. 

In  1889  the  priest  and  headmen  of  Culion  went  to 
attend  a feast  in  Busuanga,  carelessly  leaving  the  gate 


CULION 


485 


of  their  stronghold  unlocked.  During  their  absence 
a band  of  tulisanes  entered  the  place,  walked  into  the 
fort,  and  carried  off  an  iron  box  containing  sixteen 
thousand  dollars  in  silver  belonging  to  one  of  the 
headmen. 

As  a result  of  this  occurrence  a garrison  of  nine 
soldiers  under  the  command  of  a lieutenant  was  es- 
tablished, and  at  the  time  of  our  arrival  this  teniente 
and  the  friar  constituted  the  white  population  of  the 
island,  while  there  was  but  one  European  in  Busuanga. 

Ten  minutes  after  landing  we  met  the  padre  and 
the  following  conversation  ensued.  “ Good  morning, 
Father.”  “ Humph  ! Who  are  you  ? ” “ We  are 

American  naturalists,  Father."  “ Humph ! American 
naturalists!  You  can  live  in  the  tribunal'.'  With 
that  the  man  of  God  turned  on  his  heel. 

The  tribunal  proved  a wretched  place ; so  we  did 
not  avail  ourselves  of  his  kind  permission,  but  rented 
a good  board-house  which  happened  to  be  vacant.  It 
belonged  to  Capitan  Doroteo  Rodriguez,  one  of  the 
wealthy  half-castes  previously  mentioned ; and  we  were 
most  fortunate  to  get  it,  for  the  native  huts  of  the 
place  were  wretched  affairs. 

When  the  padre  found  that  we  were  not  poverty- 
stricken,  as  he  had  at  first  imagined,  he  became  very 
friendly,  and  called  on  us  daily  until  he  had  exhausted 
our  rather  limited  supply  of  brandy,  and  had  smoked 
up  all  the  cigars  which  we  had  provided  for  the  enter- 


486 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


tainment  of  guests.  By  that  time  he  had  decided  that 
there  must  be  money  in  bird-skins,  and  had  evidently  made 
up  his  mind  to  go  into  the  business ; for  he  sent  word  to 
us  that  he  would  like  the  “ loan  ” of  a good  shotgun, 
with  powder,  shot,  primers,  wads,  brass  shells,  arsenic, 
plaster  of  Paris,  some  cotton,  and  a set  of  bird-stuffing 
tools ! These  modest  demands  rather  startled  us,  for 
we  knew  only  too  well  what  it  would  mean  to  lend 
him  a gun.  He  was  the  autocrat  of  two  big  islands 
and  several  little  ones,  and  was  accustomed  to  choose 
his  own  time  for  returning  things  which  he  borrowed. 
We  accordingly  replied  that  we  should  be  glad  to 
furnish  him  arsenic,  plaster,  etc.,  but  had  neither  guns 
nor  ammunition  to  spare.  From  that  day  we  were 
forced  to  number  him  among  our  enemies. 

A son  of  Capitan  Doroteo  and  the  teniente  at  the 
fort  proposed  that  we  should  accompany  them  into 
the  interior  on  a deer  hunt.  They  said  that  game 
was  astonishingly  abundant,  and  the  teniente  offered 
to  furnish  carriers.  As  we  wanted  skins  and  skele- 
tons of  the  Culion  deer  for  our  collection,  we  gladly 
accepted  the  invitation,  although  we  had  no  faith 
that  the  hunting  would  prove  at  all  as  it  was  repre- 
sented. 

Culion  is  a limestone  island,  without  high  moun- 
tains, but  near  the  coast  its  surface  is’  much  broken 
by  hills.  The  open  country  is  covered  with  short 
grass,  through  which  one  can  walk  with  comfort.  On 


CULION 


48; 


the  tops  of  many  of  the  hills,  and  here  and  there  on 
lower  ground,  are  impenetrable  bamboo  thickets 
through  which  one  cannot  force  his  way  without  first 
using  a machete  to  clear  a path.  Little  true  forest 
remains,  but  at  the  centre  of  the  island  there  is  an 
immense  cogonal , occupying  what  may  once  have 
been  the  bed  of  a lake.  This  cogonal, , and,  for  that 
matter,  the  whole  region  around  it,  swarmed  with 
deer,  and  we  also  found  there  plenty  of  wild  cattle 
and  a herd  of  nine  buffaloes. 

Although  we  did  not  reach  the  hunting-ground 
until  nearly  dark,  we  killed  four  deer  after  our  arrival. 
The  towns  in  Culion  and  Busuanga  are  inhabited  by 
civilized  natives,  but  the  remainder  of  each  island  is 
peopled  for  the  most  part  by  Tagbanuas.  A number 
of  them  had  their  huts  near  the  cogonal , and  as  they  had 
fled  in  alarm  at  the  firing,  we  had  our  choice  of  houses, 
and  selecting  the  largest,  proceeded  to  make  ourselves 
as  comfortable  as  possible.  The  next  day  we  man- 
aged to  overcome  the  fears  of  the  timid  natives,  and 
as  soon  as  the  word  spread  that  we  had  fresh  deer 
meat  on  hand  they  came  from  far  and  near.  One 
old  fellow  vowed  that  he  knew  where  a big  snake 
had  its  “ house,”  and  we  arranged  to  visit  the  place 
with  him.  It  proved  that  he  had  told  the  truth.  In 
the  hollow  trunk  of  a fallen  tree  we  captured  a python 
measuring  two  inches  longer  than  our  Palawan  speci- 
men. It  was  coiled  about  an  immense  heap  of  eggs. 


488 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


They  had  a leathery  shell,  and  were  about  the  size  of 
a regulation  base-ball.  Each  of  them  contained  a 
fine,  lively  young  snake.  We  counted  them  carefully, 
and  found  that  there  were  eighty-nine. 

The  teniente  and  our  mestizo  companion  remained 
with  us  until  they  had  put  up  a good  supply  of  dried 
deer  meat,  and  then  returned  to  town ; but  we  stayed 
where  we  were  until  time  to  take  our  Manila  steamer. 
During  most  of  our  stay  I was  laid  up  by  trouble 
with  one  of  my  eyes,  its  sight  failing  suddenly  and 
without  apparent  cause.  On  reaching  Manila,  I was 
condemned  to  spend  ten  days  in  a dark  room,  which 
effected  a cure. 

As  we  had  found  no  forest  worthy  of  the  name  in 
Culion,  and  had  not  visited  Busuanga  at  all,  we  con- 
sidered it  best  for  one  of  us  to  return  at  some  future 
time. 

In  December,  1892,  I again  arrived  at  Culion,  accom- 
panied by  Mateo.  I had  three  definite  objects  in  view. 
The  first  was  to  visit  the  cogonal  once  more  and  secure 
the  skin  of  a fine  bull  buffalo  which  I had  seen  there. 
The  second  was  to  get  the  Tagbanuas  throughout 
both  islands  to  hunt  pythons  for  me.  The  third  was 
to  find  forest,  if  there  was  such  a thing  in  Busuanga, 
and  make  a good  collection  of  birds. 

The  padre  declared  war  on  me  at  once,  and  forbade 
the  gobernadorcillo  to  furnish  me  the  men  I needed  for 
my  projected  expedition.  However,  I frightened  that 


BUSU ANGA 


489 


unfortunate  official  into  doing  his  duty,  and  having 
secured  coolies,  took  them  to  my  house  for  safe  keeping 
over  night,  thinking  that  I had  stolen  a march  on  the 
friar.  When  I awoke  in  the  morning  not  a man  was 
to  be  seen.  The  padre  had  been  busy  while  I slept. 

I was  now  thoroughly  aroused,  and  called  on  the 
teniente,  the  goberna do rc ill 0 , and  the  padre , telling  them 
that  if  men  were  not  ready  for  me  in  thirty  minutes  I 
would  hold  them  individually  and  collectively  responsi- 
ble, and  would  drop  down  to  Cuyo  on  the  next  mail- 
steamer  and  lay  the  matter  before  the  governor.  This 
threat  had  the  desired  effect,  and  before  the  thirty  min- 
utes had  expired  I was  on  my  way. 

I speedily  succeeded  in  the  first  of  my  objects,  and 
having  secured  a fine  buffalo  skin,  and  examined  all  the 
“ snake-houses  ” of  Culion  without  finding  any  of  their 
occupants  at  home,  I returned  to  town  and  crossed  to 
Bintuan  in  Busuanga.  Here  I was  joined  by  Mariano, 
the  oldest  son  of  Capitan  Doroteo,who  remained  with  me 
during  most  of  my  sojourn  in  the  island.  He  was  on 
the  best  of  terms  with  the  Tagbanuas,  spoke  their  lan- 
guage fluently,  and  proved  invaluable  to  me  as  an  in- 
terpreter. 

We  first  made  a rapid  trip  through  Busuanga,  leaving 
word  everywhere  that  I wished  to  purchase  big  snakes, 
and  would  undertake  to  capture  them  myself,  asking 
only  to  be  shown  where  they  were. 

In  the  course  of  this  trip  I found  excellent  hunting- 


490 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


ground  for  birds.  There  was  a large  house  belonging 
to  an  ex -gobernadorcillo  conveniently  near  it,  and  there 
I settled  down,  after  sending  to  Culion  for  my  heavy 
baggage.  Whenever  I heard  of  a python  I went  after 
it,  and  when  snakes  failed  me  I collected  birds.  Just  at 
this  time  a very  amusing  incident  occurred.  In  order 
to  keep  myself  in  reading  matter  I had  arranged  to  have 
a number  of  magazines  and  papers  sent  me  from  home. 
Among  the  latter  was  “Judge.”  It  will  perhaps  be 
remembered  that  this  publication  had  a fondness  for 
caricaturing  President  Cleveland,  and  especially  for 
portraying  him  in  the  garb  of  a friar,  with  a tin 
halo  supported  by  an  upright  from  the  back  of  his 
collar. 

After  reading  my  papers  I used  them  for  wrapping 
bird-skins,  and  when  I was  one  day  tearing  up  some  old 
copies  of  “ Judge  ” for  this  purpose  I came  across  a par- 
ticularly villainous  full-page  cartoon  of  our  then  chief 
magistrate,  in  the  garb  above  described.  He  was  repre- 
sented in  an  attitude  of  devotion,  with  hands  clasped, 
and  very  large  tears  rolling  down  his  cheeks.  The 
owner  of  the  house  begged  for  the  picture,  and  I gave 
it  to  him,  little  suspecting  the  use  to  which  he  intended 
putting  it.  I was  called  away  to  catch  a python,  and 
when  I returned,  after  an  absence  of  a few  days,  was 
surprised  to  see  the  cartoon  of  Mr.  Cleveland  hanging 
at  one  end  of  the  hut,  in  a neat  bamboo  frame.  Even 
then  I failed  to  appreciate  the  full  beauty  of  the  situa- 


BUSU ANGA 


491 


tion  until  six  o’clock,  when  father,  mother,  and  children 
fell  on  their  knees  before  the  preposterous  thing,  and 
offered  to  it  their  evening  petitions!  So  far  as  I know, 
Mr.  Cleveland  is  the  first  American  president  to  have 
been  canonized. 

The  Tagbanuas  of  Culion  and  Busuanga  are  an  odd 
lot,  and  one  of  the  strangest  things  about  them  is  that 
they  nearly  all  pay  tribute,  working  in  the  jungles  for 
the  civilized  natives,  who  buy  cedtilas  for  them  which 
they  never  see,  nor  care  to  see.  Imagine  these  poor 
barbarians,  who  are  mortally  afraid  to  come  near  a civ- 
ilized town,  toiling  away  to  discharge  their  obligations 
to  a government  which  does  absolutely  nothing  for 
them  ! They  are  allowed  to  live  their  own  life,  quite 
undisturbed.  On  attempting  to  learn  something  of 
their  customs  and  beliefs,  I found  them  quite  suspicious 
of  my  motives,  but  with  the  help  of  Mariano  was  able 
to  calm  their  fears,  and  eventually  to  find  out  what  I 
wanted  to  know. 

Their  ideas,  as  well  as  their  practices,  differ  in  many 
ways  from  those  of  their  fellow-tribesmen  in  Palawan. 

Their  method  of  detecting  a thief  interested  me 
greatly.  If  anything  is  stolen,  all  the  persons  who  may 
possibly  be  guilty  are  summoned,  and  an  “ old  man  ” 
gives  each  of  them  boiled  rice  to  chew.  At  an  order 
from  him  each  person  spits  his  mouthful  on  the  ground 
in  front  of  himself,  and  the  old  man  feels  of  each  quid 
in  succession.  The  person  whose  rice  is  found  to  be 


492 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


most  moist  is  declared  guilty.  The  old  man  determines 
the  penalty,  which  may  be  a whipping  or  a fine. 

Adultery  is  punishable  in  the  same  way,  but  never  by 
death.  Proof  must  be  positive,  and  a witness  must 
produce  some  bit  of  clothing  or  small  article  belonging 
to  the  accused.  The  Tagbanuas  deny  that  they  ever 
kill  or  wound  each  other  as  a punishment  for  crime. 

Divorce  from  mere  caprice  is  impossible,  but  it  may 
be  granted  if  either  party  to  a marriage  neglects  the 
other.  It  is  effected  by  a council  of  the  elders  of  the 
two  families.  The  individual  at  fault  must  pay  a fine 
to  the  other. 

Child-marriage  seems  to  be  less  common  than  in 
Palawan.  The  marriage  ceremony  is  quite  a compli- 
cated affair.  A proposal  must  come  from  the  parents 
of  a man  to  those  of  a woman,  through  the  agency  of 
an  ambassador  known  as  “ the  captain  of  the  ship.”  If 
an  offer  is,  for  any  reason,  not  acceptable,  it  may  be 
refused  with  impunity. 

If,  however,  the  parents  of  the  woman  are  favourably 
disposed  toward  the  suitor,  they  set  a day  on  which  he 
may  get  his  “ toothpicks,”  which  serve  to  indicate  the 
amount  of  the  dowry  demanded  for  the  bride.  At  the 
proper  time  the  suitor  goes  to  a place  previously  de- 
cided upon,  and  sends  a messenger  to  the  bride’s  house 
to  ask,  “ Can  the  ship  come  to  anchor  ? ” The  future 
bride  sends  a messenger  to  reply  in  the  affirmative.  A 
second  message  from  the  groom  says,  “ We  have  an- 


BUSU ANGA 


493 


chored.”  The  bride’s  family  then  send  the  “tooth- 
picks” ( palitos ),  each  of  which  represents  a dollar  in 
value,  and  the  suitor  thus  learns  how  much  dowry  is 
demanded  for  the  bride.  He  beats  down  the  price  as 
much  as  possible,  and  a satisfactory  arrangement  is 
finally  reached,  after  much  sending  back  and  forth  of 
messengers. 

When  the  necessary  preparations  have  been  con- 
cluded, the  family  of  the  groom  go  to  the  house  of 
the  bride’s  parents,  where  the  two  messengers  in- 
dulge in  a mock  combat  at  the  door.  The  groom’s 
messenger  always  wins,  and  after  the  bloodless  duel  is 
over  the  “captain  of  the  ship”  goes  up  into  the  house 
between  the  two  combatants,  who  now  stand  at  the  sides 
of  the  door.  He  carries  with  him  something  worth  from 
fifty  cents  to  a couple  of  dollars  to  pay  the  “ subida .” 

The  other  guests  follow  the  “ captain,”  the  family  of 
the  bride  presenting  to  each  of  them  a cigar  or  a cup 
of  drink.  No  one  must  be  omitted,  or  the  marriage  will 
be  unlucky.  The  groom’s  family  now  pay  the  dowry  to 
the  bride’s  mother,  who  keeps  it  for  herself. 

Meanwhile,  the  bride  has  been  waiting  in  a closed 
room.  The  door  is  now  thrown  open,  and  she  is  dis- 
covered, sitting  with  her  back  toward  it.  The  bride- 
groom, conducted  by  the  two  messengers,  enters  and 
seats  himself  with  his  back  against  hers.  The  mes- 

O 

sengers  then  go  out  and  close  the  door,  after  warning 
the  couple  not  to  move  until  it  is  again  opened. 


494 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


The  father  and  mother  of  the  bride,  together  with  the 
messengers  and  some  very  old  man,  now  take  seats  in 
the  middle  of  the  room  where  the  guests  are  assembled, 
and  eat  and  drink. 

A dance  follows,  the  groom’s  messenger  indicating 
the  men  who  are  to  take  part,  and  the  bride’s  messenger 
the  women.  No  one  may  refuse. 

After  the  dancing  comes  a feast,  furnished  by  the 
bride.  Dancing  and  feasting  alternate  with  each  other 
until  the  supply  of  food  is  exhausted.  While  the  guests 
are  eating  for  the  second  time,  the  messengers  open  the 
closed  door,  and  bride  and  groom  appear.  They  eat 
alone,  to  the  accompaniment  of  music,  and  then  dance 
together.  This  completes  the  ceremony,  but  the  festivi- 
ties usually  last  until  the  following  morning. 

Unlike  the  Mangyans,  Tagbanuas  care  for  their  sick. 
They  have  doctors  called  “ babalyan.”  The  babalydn  are 
persons  who  are  supposed  to  have  encountered  in  the 
forest  a “ man  of  the  wood,”  said  to  be  “like  a human 
spirit,  but  small  of  stature.”  This  mysterious  being 
makes  as  though  he  would  hurl  his  lance  at  the  person 
who  meets  him,  but  if  the  latter  shows  no  fear,  gives 
him  a pearl.  The  fortunate  owner  of  such  a pearl 
never  allows  any  one  else  to  see  it,  but  when  called  to 
a sick-bed,  looks  at  it  himself.  If  it  is  dark  and  lustre- 
less, he  will  not  undertake  the  case;  but  if  it  is  trans- 
lucent, he  prescribes  what  he  considers  to  be  the  proper 
remedy.  Crocodiles’  teeth,  filed  to  dust,  are  believed 


BUSU ANG A 


495 


to  be  potent  in  checking  some  diseases,  and  the  gall  of 
pythons  is  also  highly  esteemed. 

A funeral  among  the  Calamianes  Tagbanuas  is  an 
elaborate  affair.  The  corpse  is  dressed  in  good  clothes, 
and  relatives  and  friends  are  summoned.  The  family 
of  the  deceased  person  name  a certain  place,  and  ask 
if  he  wishes  to  be  buried  there.  Then  they  lift  the 
corpse.  If  it  seems  light,  the  answer  is  considered  to 
be  affirmative,  but  if  heavy,  they  try  again  and  again 
until  some  place  has  been  hit  upon  which  is  satisfactory 
to  the  departed  brother,  when  his  corpse  suddenly  be- 
comes light.  It  is  carried  to  the  chosen  spot,  even  if 
very  distant,  and  may  be  buried  in  the  earth,  in  a cave, 
or  placed  on  a rude  platform  in  some  tree. 

All  the  belongings  of  the  deceased,  except  such  bare 
necessaries  as  may  be  needed  by  his  immediate  rela- 
tives, are  left  at  the  head  of  his  grave. 

The  mourners  return  to  his  house,  and  when  evening 
comes  build  a fire  in  front  of  it,  waiting  in  silence  until 
the  wood  is  all  consumed,  and  watching  the  dying  em- 
bers. They  say  that  they  sometimes  see  their  dead 
friend,  sometimes  only  his  footprints,  in  the  ashes  of 
the  fire. 

Five  days  later  all  again  return  to  the  house.  A 
bamboo  pole  is  set  up  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  with 
rattans  attached  to  its  top,  the  whole  affair  somewhat 
resembling  a May-pole.  Each  person  sits  down,  grasp- 
ing the  end  of  one  of  the  rattans,  and  all  begin  to  chant 


496 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


the  “ bactal a strange  and  very  lengthy  song,  which 
recounts  the  remarkable  adventures  of  a mythical  per- 
son named  Dumaracol. 

The  bactal  is  handed  down  from  generation  to  gen- 
eration, and  must  have  originated  at  a time  when  the 
ancestors  of  the  Calamianes  Tagbanuas  were  far  more 
civilized  than  are  the  present  representatives  of  the 
tribe ; for  in  it  reference  is  made  to  articles  which  those 
of  this  generation  do  not  possess,  and  would  not  under- 
stand the  use  of. 

The  singing  of  the  bactal  is  kept  up  on  three  suc- 
cessive nights,  from  dusk  until  daybreak.  The  singers 
stop  occasionally  to  eat,  and  sometimes  dance  in  order 
to  keep  themselves  awake.  The  performance  is  re- 
peated after  the  rice  harvest,  and  even  a third  time  if 
the  relatives  can  afford  to  pay  for  the  food  necessary 
to  keep  the  participants  in  good  spirits. 

A house  where  a death  has  occurred  is  always  aban- 
doned. The  Tagbanuas  refuse  to  tell  their  names  to 
strangers,  and  change  them  after  a severe  illness  or 
any  other  serious  misfortune.  Children  may  not  men- 
tion the  names  of  their  elders,  even  in  addressing 
them. 

Good  Tagbanuas  go  to  a pleasant  abode,  concerning 
which  I could  learn  nothing.  The  spirits  of  the  dead 
may  return  to  earth,  those  of  the  good  appearing  in  the 
form  of  doves  and  helping  the  living  in  all  sorts  of  un- 
dertakings. Bad  spirits  come  as  fire,  or  goats.  They 


BUSU ANGA 


497 


are  doomed  to  wander  forever,  sometimes  on  the  earth, 
sometimes  within  it. 

The  gods  of  the  Tagbanuas  are  the  “ Dwendi"  which 
have  the  form  of  men,  live  in  caves,  and  are  very  pow- 
erful. They  eat  a peculiar  food,  which  looks  like  boiled 
rice,  but  moves  as  if  alive.  The  Dw'endi  deceive  men 
and  children,  and  carry  them  away. 

The  Majalok  are  evil  spirits,  which  devour  the  hearts 
and  livers  of  very  sick  persons.  They,  too,  have  the 
form  of  men,  but  can  fly  through  the  air.  They  go 
about  putting  their  ears  to  the  ground,  and  listening 
for  the  sound  of  weeping,  in  order  to  learn  where  they 
can  find  food. 

The  rise  and  fall  of  the  tide  is  caused  by  a large  fish, 
which  alternately  swallows  sea-water  and  throws  it  up. 

The  eclipse  of  the  moon  is  due  to  the  fact  that  a 
gigantic  crab  is  attempting  to  eat  it. 

Tagbanuas  who  live  on  the  beach  are  called  Bulala- 
caounos.  Bulalacao  was  a falling  star,  which  dropped 
upon  the  beach  and  turned  into  a beautiful  woman.  A 
Tagbanua  married  her,  and  their  descendants,  who 
still  live  on  the  seashore,  bear  her  name. 

Animals  talk,  but  the  dove  is  the  only  one  that 
they  can  understand.  It  was  once  a child.  When 
its  mother  was  pounding  new  rice  for  panipig  (a  sort 
of  confection),  it  asked  for  some.  Its  request  was  re- 
fused, and  in  shame  it  ran  behind  the  door,  took  nipa 
leaves,  fashioned  itself  wings,  and  flitted  to  a neigh- 


498 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


bouring  tree,  changing  to  a dove  as  it  flew.  This  is 
why  the  dove  is  always  asking  for  panipig. 

All  of  the  above  tales  rest  on  the  authority  of  “ the 
old  men  of  former  times.” 

My  work  in  the  Philippines  was  destined  to  be 
brought  to  an  end  in  a wholly  unexpected  way.  After 
being  in  excellent  health  for  weeks,  I was  much  dis- 
gusted to  find  myself  growing  weak  and  listless.  In 
a few  days  I began  to  suffer  a little  from  fever,  but 
thought  it  only  malaria,  and  was  determined  to  fight 
it  off.  I kept  on  with  my  tramping,  meanwhile  using 
remedies  which  had  never  before  failed  to  afford  me 
relief.  To  my  amazement  they  seemed  to  produce  no 
effect  whatever.  The  time  soon  came  when,  after  drag- 
ging myself  to  the  woods,  I was  unable  to  hunt,  and 
came  near  failing  to  get  back  to  the  house.  When  I 
finally  reached  it,  after  lying  down  a score  of  times  in 
the  last  half-mile,  I realized  that  my  hunting-days  were 
over  for  a time. 

Had  I known  then  that  I was  down  with  typhoid 
fever,  I might  perhaps  have  saved  myself  suffering- 
later  by  keeping  quiet;  but  with  no  suspicion  of  the 
nature  of  my  trouble,  I still  tried  to  fight  it  off,  get- 
ting up  every  afternoon  to  help  skin  the  birds  which 
Mateo  brought  in.  At  last  I could  no  longer  raise 
myself  from  my  hammock.  The  “civilized”  natives 
of  the  vicinity,  deciding  that  I was  done  for,  began  to 
steal  my  effects.  My  fever-thermometer  went  first; 


BUSU ANGA 


499 


various  small  objects  followed  suit,  and  finally  my 
medicine  chest  disappeared  bodily.  It  contained  sev- 
eral drugs  not  intended  to  be  taken  in  large  doses, 
and  I sincerely  trust  that  the  man  who  stole  it  prac- 
tised on  himself. 

The  loss  of  my  medicines  was  the  last  straw,  and  I 
told  Mateo  that  he  must  take  me  to  Manila  by  a 
steamer  which  would  soon  leave  Culion.  Fortunately 
Mariano,  who  had  been  called  home,  returned  just  at 
this  time,  and  the  two  of  them  got  together  a coolie- 
gang,  and  landed  me  and  what  remained  of  the  bag- 
gage safely  in  Culion.  The  journey  was  a perfect 
nightmare.  I suffered  torments  from  being  jolted  along 
in  a hammock  to  the  coast,  and  while  crossing  the 
strait  in  a sail-boat,  was  alternately  roasted  by  a scorch- 
ing sun  and  soaked  with  rain. 

For  five  days  I lay  at  the  house  of  Capitan  Doroteo, 
unable  to  sleep,  and  with  only  boiled  rice  and  salt 
pork  to  eat.  Then  came  the  misery  of  being  loaded 
on  to  the  steamer.  A rough  voyage  to  Manila  nearly 
finished  me.  On  my  arrival  I was  bundled  into  a 
carriage,  and  driven  to  a hotel  where  I had  quarters 
reserved  against  my  return,  but  I had  come  weeks 
ahead  of  time,  and  every  room  in  the  place  was  occu- 
pied. The  proprietor  kindly  offered  to  accompany 
me  and  give  me  what  help  he  could  in  finding  accom- 
modations ; but  I realized  that  I could  not  sit  in  that 
carriage  much  longer,  and  was  about  ready  to  give  up 


500 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


when  I bethought  myself. of  Don  Felix  Fanlo,  a Span- 
ish acquaintance  who  lived  near  by.  He  was  a son-in- 
law  of  good  old  Don  Pedro  Sanz,  and  had  often  urged 
me  to  stop  with  him  while  in  Manila.  I ordered  the 
coachman  to  drive  to  his  door,  and  when  he  hurried 
out,  asked  him  if  he  would  give  me  a sleeping-mat  on 
the  floor  and  call  a doctor. 

Two  minutes  later  I was  lying  on  his  bed,  and  there 
I continued  to  lie  for  a month,  while  he  and  his  wife 
drove  four  miles  out  of  the  city  every  evening  to  their 
country  place,  in  order  to  leave  me  their  room. 

In  half  an  hour  a skilled  English  physician  was  at 
my  side.  He  looked  me  over,  and  asked  me  if  I would 
like  to  see  one  of  my  countrymen,  — the  United  States 
consul,  for  instance.  His  meaning  was  quite  evident, 
but  I did  not  take  his  view  of  the  case  and  declined. 
A few  minutes  later  Mr.  Daland,  the  consul,  appeared, 
saying  that  he  had  happened  to  be  passing,  and  hear- 
ing that  I was  upstairs,  had  dropped  in.  Daland 
never  was  an  accomplished  liar.  He  would  not  have 
passed  along  that  street  in  a year  had  he  not  been 
summoned,  and  if  he  had  passed  a dozen  times  would 
not  have  known  that  I was  in  the  house.  He  stood  by 
me  through  the  long  night  that  was  to  follow. 

The  effect  of  such  a knocking-about  as  I had  re- 
ceived on  a man  at  the  crisis  of  typhoid  fever  need 
not  be  dwelt  upon.  I can  hardly  regret  the  experience, 
for  it  served  to  teach  me  how  much  real  kindness 


CULION  AND  BUSUANGA 


501 


there  is  in  the  world.  S5r.  Fanlo,  a Spaniard  on  whom 
I had  no  earthly  claim,  watched  with  me  night  after 
night,  and  treated  me  as  if  I had  been  his  brother. 
He  did  everything  for  my  comfort  that  kindness  could 
dictate  or  ingenuity  devise. 

Mr.  Daland  I had  barely  known  by  sight.  He,  too, 
watched  with  me  until  the  worst  was  over,  and  not  a 
day  passed  that  he  did  not  drop  in  with  a cheery 
word.  His  last  query  was  always,  “ What  can  I do?" 
As  soon  as  I was  able  to  get  out,  his  carriage  was  at 
my  disposal. 

Heretic  though  I was,  kind-hearted  old  Padre  Simo 
found  time  now  and  then  to  come  over  from  the  Jesuit 
college  and  make  me  a visit.  Last  but  not  least, 
another  of  my  countrymen,  Mr.  Charles  L.  Smith, 
carried  me  off  bodily  to  his  own  house  near  the 
English  Club,  as  soon  as  I could  be  moved.  Here  I 
had  bright,  airy  quarters,  free  from  the  heat  and  noise 
of  the  busy  city,  and  my  recovery  became  rapid. 

Although  I was  now  out  of  danger,  my  internal 
machinery  did  not  run  very  smoothly,  and  when  I 
asked  my  physician  what  he  should  think  if  I started 
on  my  long-planned  North  Luzon  trip  within  a few 
weeks,  he  looked  me  squarely  in  the  eye  and  quietly 
remarked  that  he  should  consider  me  insane. 

I had  some  hope  of  proving  him  wrong,  but  when  I 
attempted  to  walk  about  town  a little  I realized  that 
I had  taken  my  last  tramp  in  the  forest  for  some  time 


502 


THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS 


to  come.  My  work  was  over,  and  since  that  was  the 
case,  I could  not  leave  too  quickly. 

Mateo  chose  to  remain  behind.  The  faithful  fellow 
had  cared  for  me  until  he  was  worn  out  himself.  He 
looked  very  solemn  when  the  time  came  for  me  to 
sail.  I had  to  cross  three  Cavite  ferry-boats  to  board 
my  launch,  and  he  followed  out  to  the  last  one,  as 
if  he  had  half  a mind  to  go  with  me  after  all ; but  he 
finally  comforted  himself  with  the  delusion  that  I would 
be  back  in  a few  years,  in  any  case. 

As  I bade  good-by  to  the  friends  who  had  made  it 
possible  for  me  to  come  safely  through  the  most  try- 
ing of  all  my  experiences,  words  failed  me  to  express 
what  was  in  my  heart,  and  I could  only  grip  their 
hands.  Daland  was  not  to  be  found.  He  could 
stand  anything  but  being  thanked. 

At  ten  o’clock  that  evening  the  lights  of  Manila 
sank  into  the  bay  as  we  steamed  toward  Corregidor, 
and  when  I awoke  the  next  day  nothing  was  visible 
save  gray  mist  and  the  ever-restless  waters  of  the 
China  Sea.  I had  seen  my  last  of  the  Philippine 
Islands  and  their  people. 


APPENDIX 


NOTES  ON  THE  NATURAL  RESOURCES  OF  THE  PHILIP- 
PINES AND  THE  CONDITIONS  GOVERNING  THEIR  DE- 
VELOPMENT 

Agricultural  and  Forest  Products 

At  the  present  time  agricultural  and  forest  products  constitute  the 
most  important  source  of  wealth  in  the  Philippines.  The  well-nigh 
inexhaustible  richness  of  the  soil,  as  well  as  the  favourable  climatic  con- 
ditions, make  it  probable  that  this  state  of  affairs  will  long  continue. 
The  success  which  has  often  attended  the  introduction  of  valuable 
plants  in  the  past  renders  it  presumptively  likely  that  much  might  still 
be  accomplished  along  this  line  ; but  taking  conditions  as  they  exist,  the 
vegetable  products  of  the  Philippines  are  very  important. 

Areca  Nut. — The  areca  palm,  which  produces  the  nuts  so  much 
used  by  the  natives  for  chewing,  grows  abundantly  throughout  the 
colony.  It  is  a graceful  tree,  and  as  it  is  frequently  planted  close  to 
the  native  houses,  it  adds  much  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  villages. 
A tree  produces  from  200  to  800  nuts  per  year.  The  local  demand  for 
them  is  fairly  good,  and  they  are  used  somewhat  in  Europe  for  manu- 
facturing a dentifrice. 

Bamboo. — There  are  innumerable  varieties  of  this  valuable  plant. 
They  range  from  a quarter  of  an  inch  to  fifteen  or  even  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter,  and  from  five  to  seventy  feet  in  height.  Bamboo  is  ab- 
solutely indispensable  to  the  native.  It  furnishes  him  with  frame, 
siding,  and  sometimes  even  roofing  for  his  house,  and  from  it  he  fash- 
ions rafts,  outriggers  for  his  boats,  sledges,  agricultural  implements  of 
many  sorts,  lance-heads,  bows,  bow-strings,  arrows,  spoons,  forks,  fish- 

503 


504 


APPENDIX 


traps,  water  pipes  and  receptacles,  cups,  measures  for  fluids,  fences, 
bridges,  carrying  poles,  musical  instruments,  and  what  not. 

A Tagbanua  once  boasted  to  me  that,  given  a machete  and  a clump 
of  bamboo,  he  could  provide  a good  dinner.  I laughed  at  him,  where- 
upon he  walked  to  the  nearest  clump  of  caha,  split  a dry  joint  and 
kindled  a fire  in  the  manner  described  on  page  296,  put  water  on  to 
boil  in  a green  joint,  stewed  some  fresh  young  bamboo  shoots  in  it,  and 
then  fashioned  me  a platter  to  hold  the  “ greens,”  and  a knife  and  fork 
with  which  to  eat  them. 

Buyo  is  a trailing  plant  cultivated  for  its  leaves,  which  the  natives 
smear  with  lime,  wrap  about  pieces  of  betel-nut,  and  chew.  Fresh 
leaves  are  in  constant  demand,  but  sell  at  a low  price. 

Cacao.  — The  cacao  tree  ( Theobroma  cacao)  was  imported  from 
Mexico  early  in  the  seventeenth  century.  It  flourishes  in  the  Philip- 
pines, producing  “ beans  ” from  which  an  excellent  chocolate  is  ob- 
tained. It  is  said  to  grow  best  between  n°  and  120  north  latitude. 
The  rich  seeds  are  borne  in  large,  red,  fleshy  pods.  Bushes  are  raised 
from  the  bean,  and  bear  the  fourth  year,  reaching  maturity  two  years 
later,  by  which  time  they  have  attained  a height  of  about  ten  feet. 
The  beans  find  ready  sale,  as  the  home  consumption  is  considerable. 
Profits  would  be  large  were  the  crop  certain,  but  unfortunately  a vio- 
lent wind  just  before  the  fruit  ripens  will  throw  most  of  it  down,  while 
rats  and  insects  cause  some  damage  to  it. 

Castor  Oil. — The  castor  oil  bean  ( Ricinus  communis)  grows  wild 
on  many  of  the  islands,  and  its  oil  is  extracted  in  a small  way  for  the 
local  trade.  It  is  not  an  article  of  export. 

Cinna?no>i  of  inferior  quality  is  abundant  in  Mindanao. 

Cocoanut  palms  flourish  throughout  the  Philippines,  often  growing 
in  soil  too  poor  to  produce  anything  else.  Trees  come  to  bearing  in 
six  or  seven  years,  and  yield  on  an  average  twenty  nuts  per  month. 
The  ripe  fruit  is  made  into  large  rafts  and  floated  to  market  whenever 
possible ; but  when  waterways  are  lacking,  it  must  be  hauled  on  buf- 
falo-sledges with  high  sides.  There  is  a steady  local  demand  for  the 
oil,  which  is  the  illuminant  almost  invariably  used  by  the  natives,  and 
is  sometimes  employed  in  place  of  lard  for  cooking  purposes. 


APPENDIX 


505 


The  dried  meats  (copra)  are  exported  in  considerable  quantity, 
going  chiefly  to  Europe,  where  they  are  used  in  soap-making.  In  1897 
the  total  shipments  reached  801,437  pounds. 

Tuba,  a mild  alcoholic  drink  highly  appreciated  by  the  natives,  is 
obtained  by  tapping  the  blossom-stalk.  (See  page  225.)  The  husks  and 
hard  shells  of  the  nuts  are  put  to  many  different  uses. 

The  water  contained  in  immature  fruits  makes  a delicious  and  very 
healthful  beverage. 

Coffee  of  excellent  quality  is  readily  grown  in  the  Philippines.  The 
bushes  come  to  bearing  in  their  fourth  year.  They  grow  best  at  a 
considerable  elevation,  where  the  temperature  does  not  average  above 
70  F.  The  bushes,  which  must  have  shade  and  moisture,  yield  but  one 
crop  of  berries  annually.  These  are  picked  from  the  trees  by  hand, 
heaped  up  in  piles  for  a few  days,  and  then  washed  to  get  rid  of  the 
pulp.  The  price  of  coffee  at  Manila  varies  greatly  from  year  to  year. 
Recently  the  extensive  plantations  near  Batangas,  in  Luzon,  have  been 
nearly  ruined  by  a wood-borer. 

Cogon  is  a tall  grass  which  grows  plentifully  in  dry  localities  where 
nipa  is  not  to  be  had.  In  such  places  it  is  used  for  thatch,  while  its 
coarse  stems  sometimes  serve  the  natives  in  lieu  of  fire-wood.  At  the 
close  of  the  dry  season  the  cogonales  are  often  burned  over,  and  the  young 
shoots  which  spring  up  with  the  first  rains  make  good  fodder  for  cattle. 

Cotton.  — A species  of  tree-cotton  grows  wild  on  many  of  the 
islands.  The  fibre  is  too  short  to  be  of  value  for  weaving,  but  it  is 
used  for  stuffing  pillows  and  the  like.  Before  ripening  its  pods  the 
tree  sheds  all  its  leaves. 

Long-staple  cotton  was  at  one  time  successfully  raised  in  Ilocos 
Norte,  but  its  cultivation  was  discouraged  by  the  authorities,  who  pre- 
ferred to  have  the  natives  grow  tobacco. 

Dammar.  — There  are  extensive  deposits  of  this  valuable  gum  in 
Palawan  and  Mindanao.  They  have  never  been  systematically  worked, 
although  the  Palawan  deposits  are  near  the  coast.  Yearly  exports  vary 
from  200  to  500  tons. 

Gabi  is  a plant  with  a turnip-like  root,  and  leaves  two  or  three  feet 
high.  The  root  is  used  by  the  natives  for  food,  but  it  is  sorry  stuff. 


506 


APPENDIX 


Gutta-percha  of  good  quality  is  abundant  in  certain  localities.  It  is 
hardly  known  as  a Philippine  export,  as  the  two  or  three  men  who  have 
dealt  in  it  have  kept  their  knowledge  to  themselves  so  far  as  practicable. 
It  is  especially  plentiful  in  Mindanao. 

Manila  hemp,  known  in  the  Philippines  as  abaca,  is  the  fibre  of  a 
wild  plantain  ( Musa  texti/is).  Its  plants  so  closely  resemble  those  of 
the  edible  banana  that  only  an  expert  can  distinguish  them.  Abaca 
will  not  live  on  swampy  land,  yet  requires  considerable  moisture,  so 
must  be  shaded  by  trees  which  can  resist  the  sun.  The  best  plants  are 
grown  at  a moderate  elevation,  on  hillsides  from  which  only  the  smaller 
forest  trees  have  been  cut. 

The  slender  stem  of  the  plant  is  enveloped  by  overlapping  half- 
round  petioles,  which  produce  the  fibre.  In  order  to  extract  it,  the 
plant  is  cut  and  the  leaf-stems  are  separated,  and  allowed  to  wilt  for  a 
short  time.  Each  is  then  drawn  between  a block  of  wood  and  a knife, 
hinged  to  the  block  and  provided  with  a lever  and  treadle,  so  that  it  can 
be  firmly  held  down  on  the  stem.  By  this  means  the  pulp  is  scraped 
from  the  fibre,  which  is  wound  around  a stick  as  fast  as  it  is  drawn  from 
under  the  knife. 

It  is  next  spread  in  the  sun  for  at  least  five  hours,  to  dry,  when  it 
can  be  immediately  baled.  Most  of  the  hemp-presses  are  run  by  man- 
power, and  the  regulation  w'eight  of  a bale  is  240  pounds. 

Abaca  is  usually  propagated  by  transplanting  the  suckers  which 
spring  from  its  roots.  It  reaches  maturity  in  three  years  from  these 
cuttings,  and  in  four  years  from  seed.  It  should  be  cut  when  it  flowers, 
as  fruiting  weakens  the  fibre.  There  are  no  insect  pests  which  injure 
the  growing  plants  to  any  extent. 

It  is  necessary  to  employ  native  labourers,  and  they  must  be  closely 
watched,  as  they  are  inclined  to  allow  the  petioles  to  rot,  and  to  use 
serrated  knives  in  drawing  the  fibre,  thus  decreasing  the  labour  of 
extracting  it,  but  sacrificing  its  strength. 

The  only  attempt  to  grow  abaca,  outside  of  the  Philippines,  which 
has  met  with  any  success  is  one  recently  made  in  North  Borneo,  and  the 
fibre  continues  to  be  the  most  important  export  of  the  Philippines.  The 
average  number  of  bales  for  the  years  1888  to  1897  was  651,897,  but  the 


APPENDIX 


507 


output  has  been  steadily  increasing,  and  in  1897  reached  825,028  bales. 
The  best  abaca  thus  far  grown  has  been  raised  in  Leyte,  Marinduque, 
and  the  districts  of  Sorsogon  and  Gubat  in  Luzon. 

About  thirty  per  cent  of  the  fibre  is  wasted  by  the  present  method  of 
extraction,  and  a fortune  undoubtedly  awaits  the  man  ingenious  enough 
to  devise  a suitable  labour-saving  machine  to  take  the  place  of  the  simple 
device  at  present  used  for  drawing  it.  Numerous  attempts  to  meet  this 
want  have  been  made  in  the  past,  but  the  various  contrivances  have  all 
failed,  through  either  breaking  the  fibre  or  discolouring  it.  To  be  of 
practical  value,  a machine  must  be  light  enough  to  be  readily  carried 
about  by  a few  men. 

Under  existing  conditions  abaca  plantations  are  estimated  to  yield, 
under  careful  management,  an  annual  return  of  thirty  per  cent  on  the 
sum  invested. 

Maize  is  raised  as  a staple  food  article  in  some  of  the  central  and 
southern  districts,  especially  in  Cebu.  On  good  land  it  yields  about  two 
hundred  fold,  and  two  crops  can  be  grown  in  a year.  The  demand  for 
it  is  quite  limited,  as  many  of  the  natives  will  not  eat  it. 

Nipa. — The  nipa  palm  ( Nipa  frutilans)  grows  in  swampy  places, 
especially  in  those  reached  by  the  sea  at  high  tide.  Its  leaves  are  very 
extensively  used  for  thatching  and  siding  houses.  An  alcoholic  drink 
is  obtained  by  tapping  its  fruit-stalk  and  fermenting  the  juice  which 
flows  from  the  cut.  In  the  vicinity  of  Capiz,  large  quantities  of  strong 
alcohol,  of  excellent  quality,  are  distilled  from  nipa  sap. 

Palma  brava  is  a species  of  palm  much  valued  on  account  of  the 
hardness  of  the  outer  wood  of  its  trunk,  which  will  resist  the  action  of 
water  indefinitely.  The  stems  are  used  for  building  piers.  Often  their 
soft  inner  fibre  is  removed,  making  hollow  tubes  of  large  size,  admirably 
suited  for  piping  water. 

Potatoes  are  grown  in  Cebu,  Negros,  and  Luzon.  Those  thus  far 
produced  are  very  small.  There  is  good  demand  for  them,  and  the 
price  is  high.  It  would  be  worth  while  to  experiment  with  this  crop  on 
high  land. 

Rattan  is  very  abundant,  and  like  bamboo  is  put  to  a thousand  uses. 
Its  stems,  of  uniform  diameter,  grow  to  enormous  length  and  are  very 


508 


APPENDIX 


strong.  They  are  used  in  place  of  ropes  and  cables,  or  are  split  and 
employed  for  tying  together  the  parts  of  house-frames,  canoes,  fences, 
carts,  sledges,  and  agricultural  implements,  as  well  as  for  binding  hemp- 
bales,  sugar-sacks,  and  the  like.  Split  rattan  is  also  used  in  bed-making 
and  chair-seating.  The  demand  for  it  is  steady,  and  many  natives  earn 
a living  by  cutting,  splitting,  and  marketing  it. 

Rice  is  the  staple  food  of  the  common  people,  and  they  are  quite 
successful  in  raising  it.  In  former  years  considerable  quantities  of  it 
were  exported  to  China,  but  at  present  the  crop  is  insufficient  for  the 
home  consumption. 

There  are  more  than  twenty  different  kinds  of  paddy.  They  may  be 
roughly  divided  into  two  classes,  the  lowland  rice  ( macan ) and  the 
highland  rice  ( paga ).  The  former  grows  on  alluvial  soil  under  water. 
The  fields  where  it  is  raised  are  divided  into  small  plots,  surrounded  by 
mud  banks  for  the  better  control  of  the  water-supply.  The  grain  is 
sown  on  a seeding  plot  to  sprout,  and  when  it  has  reached  proper  height 
is  transplanted  to  the  flooded  fields.  As  a rule,  but  one  crop  per  year  is 
obtained,  the  yield  varying  from  fifty  to  a hundred  fold. 

The  paga  is  of  inferior  quality,  but  grows  without  irrigation.  It 
yields  about  half  as  much  as  the  macan , but  two  or  three  crops  can  be 
raised  in  a year. 

The  methods  used  in  rice  culture  and  harvest  are  of  the  crudest. 
The  ground  is  prepared  for  macan  by  flooding  it  and  working  it  with 
muck-rakes  drawn  by  carabaos.  The  young  rice-shoots  are  stuck  in  by 
hand.  The  ripe  heads  of  grain  are  often  cut  one  at  a time,  with  a small 
knife-blade,  though  sickles  are  sometimes  used.  Threshing  is  usually 
accomplished  under  the  feet  of  women  or  cattle,  more  rarely  by  means 
of  wooden  flails.  The  grain  is  freed  from  the  husk  by  pounding  in 
a wooden  mortar  ( pilon ) and  flat  baskets  are  used  for  winnowing. 
(See  page  360.)  Very  rarely  one  finds  simple  home-made  machinery 
for  pounding  or  winnowing,  but  there  is  nothing  of  the  sort  in  gen- 
eral use. 

The  market  price  for  cleaned  rice  varies  with  locality  and  season. 
It  cost  us  from  two  dollars  to  four  dollars  and  a half  per  caban. 

Sugar  comes  next  to  abaca  in  its  importance  as  an  export.  The 


APPENDIX 


509 


value  of  land  suited  to  raising  it  varies  with  the  facilities  for  drainage 
and  the  distance  from  market.  Partially  exhausted  land  near  Manila 
brings  as  much  as  $115  per  acre,  while  Luzon  land  producing  a third 
more  sugar,  but  at  a distance  from  the  capital  or  any  other  good  port, 
sells  at  $30.  Railways  would  level  values  and  open  up  much  new 
country. 

Negros  has  the  best  sugar  land  in  the  colony,  and  only  about  half 
of  it  is  under  cultivation.  In  this  island  good  uncleared  land  sells  for 
$50  per  acre  and  cleared  land  for  $75. 

Otaheiti  cane  is  planted  in  Luzon,  and  Java  cane  in  the  southern 
islands. 

Nearly  all  the  Negros  grinding-mills  are  of  European  make.  Anti- 
quated wooden  or  stone  crushers,  run  by  buffalo-power,  are  extensively 
used  in  the  other  sugar-producing  districts. 

The  Philippine  estates  are  usually  small,  and  not  more  than  a dozen 
of  them  produce  more  than  1000  tons  each  per  annum.  Transporta- 
tion to  the  coast  is  by  buffalo-cart  or  water.  Negros  has  no  port  which 
will  admit  large  vessels,  and  sugar  must  be  shipped  to  Ilo  Ilo  in  small 
steamers  or  schooners. 

In  the  northern  Philippines  the  syrup  from  the  boiling-pans  is 
poured  into  porous  earthen  pots  holding  about  150  pounds  each,  and 
is  then  allowed  to  drain.  The  molasses,  which  is  caught  in  jars,  is  sold 
to  distilleries  for  making  alcohol. 

In  Negros  the  method  is  different.  The  syrup  is  boiled  longer, 
and  is  finally  poured  into  large  wooden  troughs  and  stirred  with  shovels 
until  it  cools,  forming  a dry  sugar  which  is  ready  to  pack  into  bags  at 
once.  The  so-called  “ clayed  sugar,”  produced  by  the  method  first 
described,  must  be  broken  up  and  sun-dried  before  it  can  be  shipped. 

In  1888  exports  reached  their  maximum,  with  408,722,161  pounds. 
Since  that  time  they  have  fallen  off,  owing  to  the  increased  production 
of  beet-sugar  and  the  consequent  depreciation  in  the  price  of  that  ob- 
tained from  cane. 

Tobacco  was  introduced  into  the  Philippines  from  Mexico  in  the 
early  days  of  the  colony.  During  the  first  two  centuries  of  Spanish 
rule  little  attention  was  paid  to  its  cultivation,  but  in  1781  the  Luzon 


5io 


APPEND  IX 


crop  was  formally  declared  a government  monopoly.  The  natives  were 
compelled  to  raise  it  against  their  will,  and  outrageous  abuses  arose. 
Rioting  often  resulted,  and  finally,  on  December  31,  1882,  the  whole 
disgraceful  business  was  brought  to  an  end  by  the  removal  of  the  ob- 
noxious regulations  and  restrictions. 

Although  the  best  Philippine  tobacco  is  not  considered  equal  to 
the  cream  of  the  Cuban  crop,  it  is  nevertheless  excellent.  Thus  far 
comparatively  little  systematic  effort  has  been  made  to  improve  its 
quality.  There  is  no  question  that  the  quantity  of  the  crop  might  be 
greatly  increased  and  its  quality  bettered  by  more  careful  growing  and 
curing. 

Until  now  the  best  results  have  been  obtained  in  North  Luzon, 
although  tobacco  is  grown,  to  a limited  extent,  in  Panay,  Negros, 
Cebu,  and  Mindanao. 

One  manufacturing  concern  in  Manila  employs  10,000  operatives. 
In  1897  the  leaf-tobacco  exported  reached  801,437  pounds,  while  the 
cigars  numbered  156,916,000.  It  should  be  remembered,  too,  that 
the  home  consumption  is  very  large. 

Woods 

There  is  an  enormous  amount  of  valuable  timber  in  the  archipelago. 
I have  seen  a collection  of  a hundred  and  six  different  woods  from 
the  island  of  Mindoro.  Four  of  these  would  sink  in  water.  Of 
hard  woods  alone,  more  than  fifty  species  are  known.  Many  of  them 
are  very  valuable  for  house  or  ship-building.  Many,  also,  owing  to 
their  hardness  and  capacity  for  taking  a beautiful  polish,  would  pro- 
duce very  elegant  effects  if  used  for  inside  finish  and  cabinet  work. 
I have  seen  fine  ebony  in  considerable  quantities. 

A volume  might  well  be  written  about  the  woods  alone,  and  I 
must  refer  readers  who  care  to  follow  the  matter  further  to  Fore- 
man’s “The  Philippine  Islands,”  pages  367-373,  where  a detailed 
description  of  some  thirty  valuable  species  will  be  found. 

Senseless  government  restrictions  have  thus  far  prevented  the 
realizing  of  the  large  sums  which  ought  to  be  made  on  timber  in 


APPENDIX 


5i  i 

the  Philippines.  Persons  thinking  of  engaging  in  this  line  of  busi- 
ness should  remember  that  specially  constructed  vessels  are  required 
for  the  satisfactory  loading  of  long  logs,  and  that  many  of  the  woods 
are  so  hard  that  ordinary  circular  saws  will  not  cut  them. 

Yams  or  sweet  potatoes  ( Convolvulus  batatas')  are  much  used  by  the 
natives  for  food.  They  are  easily  raised,  and  require  almost  no  care. 


Animals  and  Animal  Products 
Mammals 

In  comparison  with  Borneo  the  Philippines  are  remarkable  for  the 
scantiness  of  their  indigenous  mammalian  fauna.  Some  wild  species, 
however,  occur  which  are  worthy  of  mention,  while  the  various  domesti- 
cated mammals  should  be  described. 

Bats.  — Large  fruit-bats  occur  in  enormous  colonies.  Their  fur 
has  some  commercial  value,  and  the  natives  occasionally  eat  them. 

Smaller  insectivorous  bats  are  numerous,  and  some  of  the  bat- 
caves  contain  extensive  deposits  of  guano,  which,  so  far  as  I know, 
have  never  been  worked. 

Buffaloes.  — Wild  carabaos,  or  water-buffaloes,  are  abundant  in 
parts  of  Mindoro,  Luzon,  Negros,  and  Mindanao,  and  they  occur  in 
Masbate  and  Culion.  They  are  often  caught  young  and  tamed.  The 
Culion  natives  stalk  them  on  moonlight  nights,  creeping  up  behind 
tame  animals  which  have  been  trained  for  this  purpose.  When  close 
to  their  game  they  spring  out  and  hamstring  it,  with  two  blows  from 
a machete.  It  is  a dangerous  sport,  for  should  either  stroke  fail,  the 
hunter  is  likely  to  pay  for  his  lack  of  skill  with  his  life. 

Tame  carabaos  are  almost  universally  employed  for  beasts  of  bur- 
den. When  six  years  old  they  sell  at  from  $10.00  to  $30.00  each, 
according  to  the  urgency  of  the  local  demand. 

The  carabao  is  very  dependent  on  his  daily  mud-bath,  and  will 
seldom  work  without  it  for  more  than  a couple  of  hours  during  the  heat 
of  the  day.  He  is  most  unconscionably  slow  at  the  best,  and  his 
strength  and  endurance  are  not  what  one  would  expect  from  an  animal 


512 


APPENDIX 


of  such  huge  bulk.  He  is  usually  docile  enough,  when  only  natives  are 
around  him,  although  I have  known  one  to  attack  and  kill  his  master. 
In  the  more  secluded  native  villages  he  hates  the  very  smell  of  a white 
man,  and  I have  stampeded  half  the  buffaloes  in  a place  by  simply 
walking  along  its  main  street. 

Buffalo  meat  is  valued  as  an  article  of  food  by  the  natives,  but  it 
is  tough  and  rather  tasteless. 

Cattle  are  extensively  raised  for  beef  on  some  of  the  islands.  They 
are  of  a small  humped  variety.  In  the  Visayan  islands  bullocks  are 
often  used  as  draught  animals.  Milk  is  always  both  scarce  and  dear, 
while  fresh  butter  and  cheese  are  not  to  be  had  at  any  price. 

Cattle  have  run  wild  on  several  islands,  but  have  not  become  very 
numerous  in  any  of  the  localities  which  we  visited. 

Carnivorous  Animals.  — There  are  no  large  carnivores  in  the  Philip- 
pines. A small  wild-cat,  two  species  of  civet-cats,  and  the  binturong 
are  the  most  conspicuous  representatives  of  the  order.  The  Philip- 
pine house-cats  all  have  a curious  fish-hook  crook  in  the  ends  of  their 
tails. 

Deer.  — There  are  several  species  in  the  archipelago.  In  some 
localities  they  are  sufficiently  numerous  to  furnish  a considerable  addi- 
tion to  the  meat  supply. 

Goats  are  common,  and  are  prized  both  for  their  milk  and  their 
flesh. 

Hogs.  — Wild  hogs  are  very  abundant  in  many  of  the  islands,  notably 
so  in  Tawi  Tawi.  Domesticated  hogs  are  kept  in  every  native  village, 
and  closely  resemble  their  wild  brethren,  with  whom  they  frequently 
cross. 

Horses.  — The  Philippine  pony  is  said  to  have  originated  from  the 
Andalusian  horse.  He  is  small,  but  well-formed,  sure-footed,  and 
remarkably  tough.  He  makes  an  excellent  saddle-horse.  A pair  of 
ponies  will  handle  a carriage  nicely,  but  they  are  not  strong  enough 
to  haul  heavy  loads. 

The  large  European  and  Australian  horses  do  not  stand  the  climate. 

Timarau.  — The  tima?-au  is  a curious  little  forest-inhabiting  buffalo, 
apparently  closely  allied  to  the  Anoa  of  Celebes.  The  species  is  corp 


APPENDIX 


5i3 


fined  to  the  island  of  Mindoro,  where  it  lives  in  the  densest  jungles. 
It  voluntarily  attacks  and  kills  the  much  larger  carabao.  If  trapped, 
it  will  usually  kill  itself  in  trying  to  escape,  and  in  any  event  will  refuse 
to  eat.  It  is  said  that  its  young  calves,  when  captured  and  put  to  suck 
to  a tame  buffalo,  will  not  only  refuse  to  eat,  but  will  attempt  to  attack 
their  foster-mother.  Although  the  timarau  is  abundant  in  Mindoro, 
it  is  seldom  killed,  on  account  of  its  wildness  and  pugnacity.  Its  flesh 
is  good  eating. 

Birds 

The  Philippines  are  very  rich  in  birds,  of  which  some  five  hundred 
and  ninety  species  are  known.  There  are  many  rare  and  elegant  forms 
among  them,  but  Foreman  is  wholly  in  error  when  he  states  that  birds- 
of-paradise  and  humming-birds  occur  in  the  archipelago. 

The  jungle-fowl  ( Ga/lus  bankiva)  is  common.  It  is  frequently 
snared  by  the  natives,  and  is  eaten  or  domesticated  according  to  the 
tastes  and  necessities  of  its  captors. 

Large  hornbills  and  fruit-pigeons  form  welcome  additions  to  the 
food-supply  of  the  traveller  who  carries  a strong-shooting  gun,  while 
snipe  are  abundant  in  the  rice-fields,  and  curlew  and  other  waders  flock 
along  the  beaches  during  the  winter  months. 

One  species  of  swift  is  of  considerable  commercial  importance,  for 
its  nests  are  much  prized  by  the  Chinese  as  an  article  of  food,  and  when 
perfectly  clean  sometimes  bring  more  than  their  weight  in  gold.  They 
are  found,  at  the  proper  season,  in  caves  or  on  the  faces  of  inaccessible 
cliffs,  and  the  gathering  of  them  is  attended  with  considerable  risk. 
They  are  made  from  a salivary  secretion  which  rapidly  hardens  on 
exposure  to  the  air  into  a substance  resembling  white  glue  in  appear- 
ance. The  best  nests  contain  no  foreign  material  whatever,  but  after 
being  repeatedly  robbed  the  birds  grow  discouraged,  or  their  supply 
of  secretion  begins  to  give  out,  and  they  supplement  it  with  bits  of 
grass  and  moss. 

The  best  nests  are  taken  on  the  Penon  de  Coron,  a very  precipitous 
island  at  the  mouth  of  the  strait  which  separates  Culion  and  Busuanga. 
Fairly  good  ones  may  be  had  in  Guimaras,  Siquijor,  and  Palawan. 


5 14 


APPENDIX 


Reptiles 

Crocodiles  are  abundant  in  the  fresh-water  lakes  and  streams,  where 
they  sometimes  attain  to  enormous  size.  Ordinarily  the  natives  show 
little  fear  of  them,  but  they  say  that  if  one  tastes  human  flesh  he  is 
thereafter  content  with  nothing  else.  Man-eating  crocodiles  cause  con- 
siderable loss  of  life  in  some  parts  of  Mindanao,  and  the  creatures  destroy 
a good  deal  of  live  stock  in  other  parts  of  the  colony,  pulling  horses, 
cattle,  and  young  buffaloes  into  the  water  when  they  come  down  to  drink. 

Snakes  are  abundant,  and  some  of  the  species  are  very  venomous. 
There  are  cobras  in  Samar,  Mindanao,  and  the  Calamianes  Islands. 
The  loss  of  life  from  snake-bite  is  not  great,  in  any  of  the  islands  which 
we  visited,  but  I was  informed  that  it  is  very  serious  in  the  island  of 
Lubang,  north  of  Mindoro. 

Pythons  of  small  size  are  very  common.  In  fact,  they  are  sold  about 
the  larger  towns,  to  be  kept  in  houses  on  account  of  their  rat-catching 
proclivities.  Very  large  specimens  are  comparatively  rare,  owing  prob- 
ably to  the  scarcity  of  suitable  food  for  them.  They  usually  content* 
themselves  with  monkeys,  hogs,  and  deer,  but  I have  definitely  known  of 
their  attacking  men. 

Fishes 

Marine  fish  occur  in  great  variety  and  enormous  abundance.  They 
form  the  staple  animal  food  of  the  natives.  Fresh-water  fish  are  less 
important.  One  curious  species  appears  annually  in  the  flooded  rice- 
fields,  disappearing  completely  when  the  fields  dry  up.  No  one  seems 
to  know  what  becomes  of  it. 


Mollusks 

Many  varieties  of  “ shell-fish  ” are  eaten  by  the  natives.  Some  of 
the  edible  species  are  quite  palatable. 

Near  Sulu  there  are  extensive  beds  of  pearl-oysters  which  yield 
beautiful  shells  and  very  fine  pearls  as  well.  At  present  the  fisheries 
are  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Moro  divers,  and  all  pearls  above  a certain 
size  go,  by  right,  to  the  Sultan  of  Sulu.  The  smaller  ones,  as  well  as  the 
shells,  are  sold  to  Chinese  buyers. 


APPENDIX 


5i5 


From  another  oyster,  handsome  black  pearls  are  sometimes  obtained. 
Systematic  dredging  in  these  waters  could  hardly  fail  to  result  profitably, 
but  it  is  impracticable  under  the  present  administration,  and  in  any  event 
the  boat  that  undertook  it  would  need  to  carry  a Gatling-gun  or  two. 

From  another  oyster  are  obtained  the  thin  squares  of  “ concha  ” 
used  in  place  of  window-glass. 

The  pearly  nautilus  is  very  abundant  in  the  Tanon  channel,  and 
its  shells  are  used  for  drinking-cups  by  the  natives  of  the  adjacent  coasts. 

Insects 

Pests  of  locusts  occur  every  few  years.  The  creatures  alight  in 
countless  millions  on  the  growing  crops,  and  devastate  them  in  an  in- 
credibly short  time.  They  can  sometimes  be  started  up,  or  prevented 
from  lighting,  by  the  firing  of  guns,  or  the  making  of  other  loud  noises. 
Fried  locusts  are  considered  a delicacy  by  the  natives  of  certain  regions. 

A large  beetle,  found  in  pools  of  stagnant  water,  is  also  eaten,  and 
good  specimens  often  bring  ten  cents  each.  I have  already  mentioned 
the  fact  that  the  Mangyans  are  very  fond  of  a huge  white  grub  which 
bores  in  the  stem  of  the  sago  palm.  A number  of  other  insects  or 
larvae  are  eaten  by  natives  upon  occasion. 

Three  species  of  bees  occur.  The  Italian  honey  bee,  as  well  as  a 
non-stinging  species,  nests  in  hollow  trees ; while  a huge,  dark-coloured 
kind  builds  its  great  combs  on  the  under  sides  of  branches,  alighting 
on  them  in  such  a way  as  to  completely  “ shingle  ” them  during  bad 
weather.  The  honey  and  “ grubs  ” are  greedily  devoured  by  the 
natives,  while  the  wax  brings  a good  price  on  account  of  the  demand 
for  candles,  created  by  the  numerous  religious  ceremonies  in  which 
they  are  used. 

Two  species  of  insects  cause  damage  to  the  rice  crop.  One  blasts 
the  flowers,  while  the  other  eats  through  the  stalk,  causing  the  heads  to 
droop  and  wither. 

In  recent  times  perhaps  the  most  destructive  of  all  insect  pests  has 
been  a larve  which  bores  in  the  stems  of  coffee  bushes.  It  has 
ruined  whole  plantations. 


5i6 


APPENDIX 


Echinoderms 

The  number  of  species  is  very  large,  but  the  only  forms  of  any  com- 
mercial importance  are  a few  kinds  of  “sea-cucumbers”  which  are 
made  into  balate  by  cooking,  drying,  and  smoking,  and  are  then  sold 
to  the  Chinese. 

Climate 

I have  already  expressed  my  views  on  this  subject,  but  for  conven- 
ience of  reference  insert  the  following  table,  compiled  by  Professor  H. 
A.  Hazen,  of  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau,  from  the  records  of 
the  Jesuit  observatory  at  Manila. 


January. 

J February. 

March. 

April. 

May. 

June. 

> 

_3 

1 — 1 

August. 

September. 

October. 

November. 

December. 

Annual. 

Temperature  (de- 

grees  F.) : 

Mean  monthly 

77 

78 

81 

83 

84 

82 

81 

81 

81 

80 

79 

77 

80 

Warmest  month .... 

79 

81 

82 

85 

87 

85 

82 

82 

82 

82 

81 

80 

82 

Coolest  month  .... 

74 

76 

79 

81 

82 

81 

79 

80 

79 

79 

77 

75 

79 

Highest 

9i 

96 

96 

99 

IOO 

98 

95 

94 

94 

95 

94 

92 

100 

Lowest 

60 

6l 

65 

66 

71 

70 

70 

69 

71 

69 

63 

60 

60 

Humidity: 

Relative,  per  cent. . 

77 

73 

71 

7° 

75 

80 

84 

84 

85 

82 

80 

80 

78 

Absolute,  grains  per 

cubic  foot  

7-75 

7.60 

7.90 

8.42 

9.27 

9-39 

9-33 

9-53 

9-33 

9.24 

8-59 

8.06 

8.75 

Wind  movement  in 

miles: 

Daily  mean 

98 

”5 

132 

145 

144 

138 

l82 

165 

192 

III 

94 

93 

>34 

Greatest  daily 

152 

187 

220 

229 

236 

361 

267 

264 

282 

I96 

164 

153 

204 

Least  daily 

66 

72 

82 

92 

68 

96 

no 

79 

69 

48 

67 

59 

95 

Prevailing  wind  di- 

rection 

n.e. 

e. 

e. 

s.e. 

s.e. 

s.e. 

s.w. 

s.w. 

S.W. 

n.e. 

n.e. 

n.e. 

Cloudiness,  per  cent.. 

45 

37 

35 

32 

47 

65 

74 

68 

72 

58 

54 

53 

53 

Days  with  rain 

4-3 

2.2 

3-4 

3-5 

9.2 

>5-4 

22.1 

I9.8 

20.7 

M-4 

IX*3 

8.4 

>35 

Rainfall  in  inches: 

Mean  monthly 

1. 15 

0.47 

0.65 

I. II 

4-3° 

9.68 

14.7° 

OO 

OO 

15-01 

7-47 

4.92 

2.09 

75-43 

Greatest  monthly  . . 

7-59 

>•97 

3-94 

5-37 

10. 1 1 

25.8l 

29.71 

43.20 

61.43 

23.65 

15-27 

13.67 

120.98 

Least  monthly 

0.02 

0.00 

0.00 

0.00 

0.00 

CO 

ON 

d 

5-28 

5->5 

2.00 

0.90 

i.i7 

0.01 

35-65 

Rainfall  record  for  32  years,  1865-1896;  remaining  data  for  17  years,  1880-1896. 


Labour 


The  labour  problem  is  a serious  one.  There  is  little  trouble  in 
getting  a limited  number  of  fairly  good  workmen,  but  when  it  comes 


APPENDIX 


517 


to  conducting  any  enterprise  necessitating  the  employment  of  men  in 
large  numbers,  difficulty  is  sure  to  be  encountered. 

Wages  are  low,  running  from  four  to  eight  dollars  per  month,  but 
one  is  often  compelled  to  seek  labourers  at  a distance,  and  to  make  them 
heavy  advances  against  salary  account.  Should  they  desert  before 
working  out  the  debt,  there  is,  under  existing  conditions,  no  legal 
redress. 

It  is  often  necessary  to  sub-let  parts  of  large  estates  to  natives  who 
work  for  a percentage  of  the  crop  raised,  but  they  improvidently  spend 
their  wages  as  soon  as  earned,  or  sooner,  and  have  nothing  left  to  live 
upon.  It  is  therefore  necessary  to  loan  them  money  on  the  security  of 
a crop  not  yet  harvested,  perhaps  not  even  planted ; and  should  it  fail, 
one  is  left  out  of  pocket.  Considerable  losses  from  this  and  similar 
causes  are  inevitable. 

At  the  best,  the  native  is  an  intermittent  worker.  He  is  indisposed 
to  exert  himself  unnecessarily,  and  is  apt  to  relapse  suddenly  into  idle- 
ness when  he  has  accumulated  a small  sum  in  cash.  It  is  to  his  dislike 
for  steady,  systematic  labour  that  the  failure  of  so  many  mining  enter- 
prises has  been  due. 

Manufactures 

Cigars  are  the  only  manufactured  article  exported  in  any  quantity. 
In  fact,  outside  of  the  products  of  the  tobacco  factories,  the  Philippines 
can  hardly  be  said  to  have  any  manufactures  worthy  of  mention, 
although  fabrics  of  several  sorts  are  woven  on  simple  hand  looms. 
Ilocos  province  has  a reputation  for  its  woollen  and  dyed  cotton  stuffs, 
while  in  several  provinces  an  exquisite  fabric  called  pina  is  made  from 
a fibre  obtained  from  pineapple  leaves.  It  is  often  beautifully  embroid- 
ered by  the  native  women. 

Husi  is  a coarser  cloth,  composed  of  mixed  abaca  and  pina  fibres. 
A very  coarse  cloth  is  also  made  from  unmixed  abaca.  It  is  used  for 
rough  garments,  sails,  and  the  like. 

In  some  parts  of  Luzon  straw  matting,  and  hats  of  split  bamboo, 
are  quite  extensively  manufactured. 

Wood-carving  and  furniture-making  are  practised  at  Paete  on  the 


5t8 


APPENDIX 


Laguna  de  Bay.  At  other  points  are  made  wooden  clogs,  and  leather 
shoes,  petates  or  sleeping  mats,  bayones  or  grass-bags,  alcohol,  leather, 
candles,  soap,  and  other  comparatively  unimportant  articles  needed  for 
home  use. 

There  are  some  magnificent  water-powers  in  the  northern  islands, 
and  the  day  will  doubtless  come  when  the  manufactures  of  the  archi- 
pelago will  be  much  more  important  than  at  present. 

Telegraphic  Communication 

A cable  extends  from  Hong- Kong  to  Cape  Bolinao,  from  which 
point  there  is  an  overland  line  to  Manila.  All  the  more  important 
towns  of  Luzon  are  also  in  telegraphic  communication  with  the  capital. 
In  1893  a line  connecting  Ilo  Ilo  and  Capiz,  in  Panay,  was  in  process 
of  construction. 

Transportation 

There  is  but  one  railway  in  the  islands.  It  extends  from  Manila 
to  Dagupan,  a distance  of  about  120  miles.  Elsewhere  transportation 
must  be  by  water,  by  carts  or  sledges  usually  drawn  by  buffaloes,  but 
sometimes  by  bullocks,  or  finally  by  coolies.  The  last  method  is 
often  the  only  practicable  one.  This  lack  of  any  adequate  means  of 
overland  transportation  has  contributed  as  much  as  any  one  cause 
toward  retarding  the  commercial  development  of  the  colony. 

There  is  fairly  regular  communication  between  the  more  important 
islands  by  means  of  steamship  lines,  but  freights  are  high.  I have 
paid  twice  as  much  on  a shipment  from  Calapan  to  Manila,  a dis- 
tance of  120  miles,  as  it  cost  me  on  the  same  packages  from  Manila 
to  New  York. 

Mineral  Wealth 

No  serious  and  systematic  effort  has  ever  been  made  to  develop 
the  great  mineral  wealth  of  the  Philippines.  There  have  been  spas- 
modic attempts  at  different  times,  but  they  have  almost  invariably 
resulted  in  failure,  owing  to  insufficient  means  of  transportation,  to 
difficulty  in  securing  labour,  and  especially  to  lack  of  capital.  Within 


APPENDIX 


5i9 


the  past  few  years  a British  company,  “ The  Philippines  Mineral  Syndi- 
cate, Limited,”  has  been  conducting  systematic  explorations,  and  some 
new  data  have  consequently  been  made  available. 

Coal.  — True  coal  has  not  been  discovered  in  the  Philippines, 
but  very  extensive  beds  of  excellent  lignite  have  been  found  in 
Luzon,  Cebu,  Masbate,  and  Mindoro.  Experimental  tests  have  shown 
it  to  be  a fairly  satisfactory  fuel  for  steamers,  and  nothing  save 
the  complete  lack  of  suitable  means  of  transportation  prevents  the 
development  of  these  deposits.  Systematic  exploration  would  doubt- 
less lead  to  the  discovery  of  true  coal. 

Copper  ore  occurs  in  Luzon  and  Mindanao,  but  it  has  not  been 
successfully  mined  by  Europeans. 

Galena.  — Veins  of  galena  containing  a good  percentage  of  gold 
and  silver  have  been  found  both  in  Luzon  and  Cebu. 

Gold  has  long  been  known  to  exist  in  the  Philippines,  and  in  fact 
was  mined  by  the  natives  long  before  the  Spanish  discovery.  They 
still  continue  to  dig  it  in  a haphazard  way,  using  the  rudest  and  most 
wasteful  methods.  They  know  nothing  of  amalgamation,  nor  do  they 
understand  the  value  of  pyritic  ores.  They  have  neither  powder  nor 
dynamite,  and  work  only  rich  quartz  and  alluvial  deposits.  For  the 
latter  they  use  wash-boards  and  flat  wooden  bowls,  losing  all  the  float- 
gold.  The  gold-bearing  quartz  is  crushed  by  hand,  or  ground  between 
heavy  stones  turned  by  buffaloes,  and  is  then  washed. 

Their  shafts  are  bailed  by  lines  of  workmen  who  pass  small  water- 
buckets  from  man  to  man.  Even  so  they  obtain  the  precious  metal 
in  considerable  quantities. 

The  operations  of  the  syndicate  above  referred  to  have  proved  the 
alluvial  deposits  in  Luzon  to  be  extensive  as  well  as  rich,  while  the  aurif- 
erous formation  from  which  they  have  been  derived  is  believed  to 
extend  throughout  the  “ backbone”  of  the  island.  The  mountain  peoples 
nearly  all  traffic  in  gold. 

Valuable  deposits  have  been  found  in  several  other  islands  of  the 
group.  There  are  old  alluvial  workings  in  Cebu  and  Mindanao,  while 
the  latter  island  certainly  has  rich  gold-bearing  quartz.  On  Panaon 
there  is  at  least  one  vein  of  auriferous  quartz. 


520 


APPENDIX 


The  name  of  Mindoro  is  said  to  be  derived  from  mina  de  oro  (gold 
mine),  and  while  we  were  in  the  interior  of  that  island  the  natives  were 
always  offering  to  take  us  to  places  which  shone  with  “ oro  ” so  brightly 
as  to  dazzle  one  ! 

Many  of  the  deposits  on  the  Pacific  slopes  of  Luzon  are  very  near 
the  sea,  and  indications  are  that  if  modern  machinery  were  introduced, 
and  transportation  lines  opened,  the  Philippines  might  become  a great 
gold-producing  centre. 

Gypsum.  — There  are  deposits  on  a small  island  opposite  the  vil- 
lage of  Culasi  in  western  Panay,  and  also  in  Mindoro. 

Hot  baths,  the  waters  of  which  have  valuable  curative  properties, 
occur  at  several  points. 

Iron  ore  of  excellent  quality,  yielding  up  to  85%  of  pure  metal, 
exists  in  Luzon,  but  thus  far  it  has  proved  cheaper  to  import  iron  than 
to  mine  it. 

Marble. — There  are  large  beds  of  good  marble  both  in  Romblon 
and  Luzon. 

Paint  Mines.  — Mines  of  natural  paint,  probably  red-lead,  are  found 
in  Mindoro. 

Petroleum.  — During  our  stay  with  Mr.  Pickford,  near  Toledo,  in 
western  Cebu,  a free-flowing  petroleum  well  was  opened  on  his  estate. 

Sulphur  is  to  be  had  in  unlimited  quantities  about  the  volcanoes. 
It  is  sometimes  pure,  sometimes  mixed  with  copper,  iron,  or  arsenic. 


ADDENDUM 


Since  the  first  edition  of  this  book  was  published  my  attention  has 
been  called  to  the  desirability  of  a fuller  statement  of  our  experience 
with  the  prescription  mentioned  on  page  251.  As  given  by  Hornaday 
it  reads : — 


Sulph.  Quin. 

• 1 5 

Liq.  Strych. 

• 

• 

. 

• 

• 1 3 

Cardam.  Tinct.  Comp. 

. 

. 

• 

• 

• 

• 43 

Acid  Sulph.  Dil. 

. 2 3 

Water  suff.  to  make  ad. 

• 12  3 

The  dose  mentioned  is  one-half  a wineglassful.  Hornaday  calls 
attention  to  a probable  error  in  the  prescription  as  given,  noting  that 
the  dose  prescribed  would  contain  a very  large  amount  of  quinine,  and 
suggesting  that  the  amount  of  this  drug  should  probably  be  1 3 instead 
of  1 3 . Curiously  enough  he  fails  to  note  a much  more  serious  matter ; 
namely,  that  half  a wineglassful  (say  1 3 ) of  the  mixture  would  contain 
40  minims  of  Liquor  Strychnae,  a poisonous  dose. 

Our  attention  was  called  to  this  fact  when  we  first  had  the  prescription 
filled.  We  therefore  reduced  the  dose,  taking  a dessertspoonful  (say 
^ 3)  estimated  to  contain  10  minims  of  Liquor  Strychnae,  after  each 
meal,  until  relief  is  obtained. 

We  employed  the  remedy  only  when  very  badly  infected  with  malaria 
and  unable  to  rid  ourselves  of  it  by  ordinary  means,  and  the  results  were 
most  satisfactory. 

The  error  referred  to  by  Hornaday  would  seem  to  have  been  not  in 
the  amount  of  quinine  indicated,  but  in  the  dose  prescribed.  It  should 
be  clearly  borne  in  mind  that  10  minims  of  Liquor  Strychnae  are  the 
maximum  dose  for  persons  not  accustomed  to  the  drug,  and  that  in 
employing  the  prescription  as  above  given  great  care  must  be  exercised 
or  serious  results  may  follow.  The  dose  should  not  exceed  \ 3 . 


. 


INDEX 


A 

Abaca,  73,  506. 

Accident  at  Calantas,  245. 

Acibida,  Poljensio,  399,  405,  409,  41 9, 
425. 

Adam,  201. 

Adlobang  River,  367,  380. 

Agriculture,  71. 

Agricultural  products,  73,  503. 

Aguado,  Captain,  182. 

Agus  River,  127. 

Alcalde,  250. 

Alpargatas,  329. 

Alse,  201. 

Altasanes,  439. 

Anai,  232. 

Anda,  Simon  de,  14,  15. 

Animal  products,  51 1. 

Animals,  51 1. 

Anting  anting,  270,  272,  429. 

Ants, — processional,  331 ; red,  232;  sting- 
ing, 331:  white,  232. 

Apayaos,  439. 

Apo  volcano,  70,  127. 

Appendix,  503. 

Archbishop  of  Manila,  13,  48,  338. 

Area  of  Philippines,  69. 

Areas  of  islands,  68,  69. 

Areca  nut,  503. 

Arms,  Moro,  154. 

Arolas,  General  Juan,  124,  166,  188,  1 90, 

191.  473- 

Arrested, — in  Palawan,  89;  in  Samar, '32 1. 
Asm,  414. 

Ateneo  Municipal,  of  Jesuits,  340. 
Augustinian  monks,  5. 

Austin  friars,  10,  342. 

Ayala,  a typical  village,  131. 


B 

Babalyan,  494. 

Baco  River,  367,  395. 

Bactal,  the,  496. 

Badajoz,  464. 

Bais,  257. 

Balabac,  64,  69,  Chapter  VI,  150. 

Balate,  516. 

Balbal,  109. 

Balboa,  1. 

Balete  (Mindoro),  395. 

Balete  (Panay),  240,  242. 

Balinbing,  209,  214,  218. 

Bamboo,  81,  503. 

Banajao,  70. 

Bananas,  73. 

Barong,  154. 

Basilan,  69,  Chapter  VI,  150,  153,  473. 
Basilan  Straits,  142. 

Batan,  241. 

Batangas, — province  of,  7;  town  of,  388, 
440,  449;  wreck  of  the,  317. 
Bat-caves,  51 1. 

Bat-roosts,  140,  242. 

Bats,  243,  51 1. 

Bayones,  518. 

Bees,  515. 

Bejuco,  254. 

Beliefs, — ofMangyans,  412;  of  Monteses, 
267 ; of  Moros,  168;  of  Tagbanuas, 
109,  496. 

Bicol  River,  436. 

Biliran,  69. 

Birds,  513. 

Biri-biri,  68,  123. 

Bishop  of  Manila,  9. 

Bishop’s  See,  302. 

Black-vomit,  67,  250. 


S2i 


522 


INDEX 


Boac,  358,  361. 

Bohol,  5,  16,  17,  68,  303;  province  of, 
288. 

Bombon  Lake,  436. 

Bourns,  Frank  S.,  viii,  24,  43,  87,  249, 
280,  282,  303,  318,  320,  321,  322,  329, 
349.  388,  389,  396,  461. 

Bravery,  of  civilized  natives,  481;  of 
Moros,  175. 

Breadfruit,  74. 

Bridges, — lack  of,  58,  304;  Mangyan, 

391  • 

Brigadier  of  Visayas,  302,  318. 
Brigandage,  269,  335. 

Bubonic  plague,  68. 

Buffaloes,  60,  337,  51 1. 

Bulacan  province,  14. 

Bulalacao,  497. 

Bulalacaounos,  497. 

Burgos,  Dr.,  18. 

Burial,  — charges  • for,  347;  Mangyan, 
427;  Tagbanua,  108,  495. 

Burias,  69. 

Busuanga,  69,  77,  Chapter  XX. 

Butuan  River,  127. 

Buyo,  504. 

C 

Cabezas  de  Barangay,  135,  295. 

Cacao,  73,  504. 

Cachila,  333. 

Cadell,  Mr.,  299,  303,  317. 

Cagayan  de  Sulu,  124,  150. 

Caidas,  235. 

Calamianes,  — Islands,  77;  province,  78. 
Calantas,  243. 

Calapan,  361,  364,  365,  390,  420. 
Calatreva,  309,  310. 

Calentura  perniciosa,  66,  250. 

Camiguin,  5,  69,  70. 

Camisa,  33. 

Camp  at  Balete,  397. 

Campilan,  155. 

Canals,  Manila,  27,  37. 

Canga-Arguelles,  Sor.  Felipe,  1 22. 
Canloon,  70,  257. 

Canonization  of  President  Cleveland,  490. 
Cape  Engano,  438. 

Capiz,  227. 


Capture,  — of  Havana,  12;  of  Manila  by 
British,  13;  of  Manila  by  Americans, 
20;  of  Sulu  by  Spanish,  153;  of  Sulu 
by  Moros,  185. 

Carabaos,  60,  337,  51 1. 

Carabineros,  26. 

Caraga  province,  470. 

Carcel,  319. 

Carmen,  304. 

Carnivores,  512. 

Carriage  roads,  58. 

Carriage  trip  in  Cebu,  304. 

Cascos,  26,  454,  457. 

Casting  nets,  308. 

Castor  oil,  504. 

Catbalogan,  318,  323,  328. 

Catching  pythons,  112. 

Cattle,  337,  512. 

Causes, — -of  eclipses,  497;  of  revolts,  16, 
17,  18,  19;  of  tides,  in,  497. 

Cavite,  14,  18. 

Cebu,  — city  of,  300;  island,  3,  6,  16,68 
74,  Chapter  XIII,  303. 

Cedulas,  236,  343,  491. 

Centipedes,  331. 

Character,  native,  472. 

Charles  I,  king  of  Spain,  2. 

Cherifs,  159. 

Childishness  of  Mangyans,  377. 

Child  marriage,  108,  492. 

Chinelas,  33. 

China  Sea,  22. 

Chinese,  — in  Manila,  37,  38;  Christians, 
327;  invasion,  8;  massacres  of,  1 1,  15. 
Cholera,  68,  206,  295. 

Church  and  State  dissensions,  9,  11. 
Cinnamon,  74,  504. 

Circumnavigation  of  globe,  the  first,  5. 
Citrons,  74. 

Civet-cats,  293. 

Cleanliness  of  natives,  479. 

Clerigos,  374. 

Cleveland,  President,  490. 

Climate  of  Philippines,  63,  516. 

Coal,  518. 

Cobras,  324. 

Cock-fighting,  284. 

Cocoanut  groves,  225. 

Cocoanut  palms,  504. 


INDEX 


523 


Cocoanuts,  73. 

Coffee,  73,  505,  515. 

Coffee-borer,  515. 

Cogon,  71,  303,  505. 

Cogonales,  72,  352. 

College,  — of  Dominicans,  42;  of  Jesuits, 
340- 

Collins,  Mr.,  454,  457. 

Concepcion,  227,  231. 

Concession  to  Canga-Arguelles,  122. 
Contents,  table  of,  xiii. 

Conventos,  131,  253,  254,  282. 
Convolvulus  batatus,  511. 

Copper  ore,  519. 

Copra,  505. 

Corn,  312. 

Cornish,  Admiral,  12. 

Corregidor,  502. 

Costume,  hunting,  328. 

Cotton,  505. 

Cotton  stuffs,  517. 

Council  of  Trent,  18,  342. 

Crocodiles,  60,  380,  421,  514 
Cuadrilleros,  256,  354. 

Cuernos  de  Negros,  70. 

Culion,  69,  77,  Chapter  XX. 
Custard-apples,  74. 

Cuyo,  78,  79,  489. 

D 

Daland,  Mr.,  500,  501,  502. 

Dammar,  74,  117,  505. 

Datos,  159. 

Daud,  201. 

Davao,  127,  148. 

Deer,  512. 

Deer  hunting,  352,  486. 

Defences, — Culion,  484;  Ilo  Ilo,  228; 
Isabela  de  Basilan,  144;  Manila,  9; 
Zamboanga,  128. 

Demonios,  243,  247,  250. 

Deportation  of  Cabezasde  Barangay,  295. 
D’Escouvet,  Sor.,  98. 

Despujol,  Governor-General,  471. 

Dewey,  Admiral,  20. 

Dinagat,  69. 

Discipline  on  sugar  steamer,  316. 
Dishonesty  of  officials,  469. 


Dissensions  of  Church  and  State,  9,  II. 
Divorce,  108,  492. 

Doctor  X.,  455. 

Dogs,  350. 

Dominican  college,  42. 

Dominican  friars,  342. 

Drainage,  — of  Manila,  38;  of  Sulu,  67. 
Draper,  General,  13. 

Dress,  — of  civilized  natives,  33;  ofMan- 
gyans,  375;  of  Monteses,  265;  of 
Moros,  154;  of  Tagbanuas,  100. 
Dugong,  origin  of,  201. 

Dugouts,  1 3 1. 

Dumaguete,  253. 

Dumanjoc,  316. 

Durian,  73. 

Dwendi,  497. 

E 

Earthquakes,  35. 

Eating  bat,  243. 

Ebony,  80. 

Eehinoderms,  516. 

Edible  bird  nests,  513. 

Embezzlement,  469. 

Eruptions  of  Taal  volcano,  450. 

Escolta,  la,  36,  37. 

Eve,  tomb  of,  205. 

Everett,  Mr.,  vii. 

Expedition,  — of  Legaspi,  5 ; of  Magel- 
lan, i;  Menage,  ix;  Steere,  viii;  of 
Weyler  against  Moros,  126. 


F 

Fanlo,  Felix,  500. 

Fatalism  of  Mangyans,  414. 

Feliciano,  415,  421. 

Felipe,  Don,  207,  219. 

Ferry-boats,  native,  60. 

Fever,  malarial,  66,  208,  338;  typhoid, 
498. 

Fire-making,  by  rubbing  sticks  together, 
296. 

Fire-syringe,  297. 

Fiscals,  469. 

Fish-corals,  307. 

Fishes,  514. 


524 


INDEX 


Fishing,  — for  crocodiles,  421;  with  ma- 
casla,  100. 

Floods,  355. 

Folk-lore,  — of  Moros,  202;  of  Tag- 
banuas,  ill,  497. 

Foreman,  John,  xi,  343,  475,  503. 

Forest-land,  71. 

Forest  paths,  330. 

Forest  products,  74,  503. 

Formosa,  11,  12. 

Fort  at  Culion,  484. 

Fortifications  of  Manila,  9. 

France,  12. 

Francisco,  Mateo,  viii,  24,  87,  130,  209, 
220,  319,  320,  349,  353,  356,  367,  421, 
425,  462,  488,  498,  502. 

Friar, — of  Culion,  485,  48S;  of  Mila- 
gros,  355;  of  Toledo,  314. 

Friars, — Austin,  10,  342;  Dominican, 
342;  Franciscan,  342;  hospitality  of, 
137;  ignorance  of,  342;  income  of, 
343;  influence  of,  338;  mendicant,  10; 
of  Siquijor,  287,  298;  Recoletos,  342; 
shortcomings  of,  344;  wealth  of,  343. 

Fruit-pigeons,  513. 

Fruits,  73,  180. 

Funerals  ofTagbanuas,  108,  495. 

G 

Gabi,  505. 

Gabriel,  200. 

Gaddanes,  439. 

Galena,  519. 

Gallera,  284. 

Gallos  de  agua,  381. 

Game-cocks,  284,  287. 

Giting  Giting,  70,  467. 

Goats,  512. 

Gobernadorcillo,  — office  of,  132;  of 
Ayala,  136;  of  Bais,  272;  of  Batan, 
241 ; of  Capiz,  238;  of  Malboog,  353; 
of  Siquijor,  134,  291 ; ofTaal,  441. 

Gold,  127,  519. 

Government,  — of  Moros,  159;  ofTag- 
banuas, 107. 

Gravina,  the,  76. 

Great  Britain  declares  war,  1 2. 

Guardia  civil,  133,  248,  268,  270,  320. 


Guimaras,  69,  Chapter  X,  303. 
Gun-licenses,  52,  302,  319,  320. 
Gutta-percha,  74,  127,  506. 

Gypsum,  520. 

H 

Harun,  Sultan,  172,  185;  visit  to,  183. 
Harvesting  rice,  359. 

Havana,  capture  of,  by  British,  12. 
Headmen,  135. 

Head-gear,  330. 

Head-hunters,  366,  377,  439,  474. 

Hogs,  512. 

Holy  week,  326,  390. 

Home  life  of  natives,  479. 

Honey,  wild,  515. 

Hong-Kong,  21,  38. 

Hornbills,  513;  origin  of,  201. 

Horses,  356,  512;  see  also  Ponies. 
Hospitality,  — of  friars,  132;  of  natives, 
479;  of  Spanish,  305,  306,  500. 

Hot  baths,  520. 

Hotel  de  Europa,  29. 

Hotel  de  Oriente,  52. 

Hotels,  — Manila,  39;  Hollo,  223;  Zam- 
boanga, 128. 

Houses,  — of  Mangyans,  366,  377,  383, 
40S;  of  Moros,  150;  of  civilized  na- 
tives, 137;  ofTagbanuas,  107. 

Husi,  517. 

I 

Ignorance,  — of  friars,  292;  of  natives, 
482. 

Igorrotes,  438. 

Illustrations,  list  of,  xvii. 

Ilocanos,  438,  475. 

Ilo  Ilo,  223,  228. 

Indolence  of  natives,  478. 

Influence  of  friars,  338. 

Inquisition,  II. 

Insects,  515. 

Invasion,  — of  Americans,  20;  of  British, 
12;  of  Chinese,  8;  of  Dutch,  10;  of 
Portuguese,  6. 

Ipil,  80. 

Iron  ore,  520. 

Isa,  202. 


INDEX 


525 


Isabela  de  Basilan,  144. 

Isarog,  70. 

Isla  de  fuego,  289. 

Isla  Verde,  440. 

Ismail,  201. 

Iwahig,  105,  122. 

J 

Jack-fruit,  74. 

Jesuit  college,  42,  340;  Museum,  48; 

observatory,  63,  340. 

Jesuits,  339,  342. 

Joloanos,  166. 

Jungle-fowl,  1 1 7,  513. 

Juramentados,  175,  186,  188. 

K 

Kaseelees,  380. 

Keuseng  threatens  invasion,  1 1. 

King,  — Andrez  Malong,  17;  of  Cebu, 
3;  of  Mindanao,  3;  Charles  I of 
Spain,  2,  5;  Philip  II  of  Spain,  5. 
Kinmuen  Island,  11. 

Kris,  — straight,  155;  serpent,  155. 

L 

Labour  problem,  95,  260,  5 1 7. 

Ladrone  Islands,  3. 

Laguna  de  Bay,  343.  436>  454- 
Laichees,  74. 

Lakes,  71. 

Lanao  Lake,  127. 

Lanceria,  186. 

Landing,  — of  Legaspi,  6;  Magellan,  3. 
Language, — of  Mangvans,  414;  of  Mo- 
ros,  159. 

Lanzones,  74. 

Law  and  lawyers,  92. 

Laws  of  the  Indies,  338. 

Leeches,  391. 

Legaspi,  Miguel  Lopez  de,  5,  6,  7. 

Legos,  343. 

Lemons,  74. 

Leprosy,  68,  141. 

Leyte,  68,  302. 

Lignite,  74,  312,  318. 


Limahong,  8,  9. 

Limes,  74. 

List  of  illustrations,  xvii. 

Living-rooms,  30. 

Locusts,  515. 

Logwood,  80. 

Luneta,  la,  42, 

Luzon,  6,  64,  68,  70,  74,  297,  Chapter 
XVIII,  474. 

M 

Macan,  505. 

Macasla,  100. 

Machetes,  330. 

Mactan  Island,  4,  307. 

Magellan,  1,  4,  307. 

Maghallanes,  see  Magellan. 

Magogoorang  Ginoo,  107. 

Maibun,  169. 

Maize,  73,  507. 

Majalock,  497. 

Malacanang,  50. 

Malamaui  Island,  142. 

Malaria,  64,  66. 

Malaspina  volcano,  70,  257. 

Malboog,  352. 

Malong,  King  Andrez,  1 7. 

Man-catchers,  254. 

Man  of  the  wood,  494. 

Mangostan,  73. 

Mangyan,  — agriculture,  407;  beliefs, 
412,  414;  bridge,  391 ; burial,  427; 
capitan,  390;  carriers,  415 ; delicacies, 
417;  dress,  375;  food,  41 1,  417; 
houses,  366,  377,  383,  408;  language, 
414;  mathematicians,  416;  morality, 
413;  paths,  406;  philosophy,  414;  sick, 
41 1 ; signalling,  405. 

Mangyans,  — of  Mindoro,  Chapters  XVI 
and  XVII;  of  Sibuyan,  466. 

Manila, — Bay,  10,  21,  436,  438;  city,  6, 
7,  8,  9,  10,  12,  13,  15,  18,  20,  Chapter 
II;  fires,  39;  hemp,  see  Abaca;  hotels, 
39,  44;  lottery,  38. 

Manufactures,  517. 

Mapa  de  las  Yslas  Philipinas,  by  Padre 
Velarde,  342. 

Map  of  Philippines,  68. 


§26 


INDEX 


Marayo,  346. 

Marble,  520. 

Marinduque,  61,  69,  359,  Chapter  XV. 
Mariveles,  438. 

Marriage,  — ceremony,  194,492;  charges 
for,  347. 

Martial  law  in  Sulu,  189. 

Martin,  Ca,  269,  271. 

Masbate,  16,  68,  303,  Chapter  XV. 

Mayon  volcano,  69. 

Mazorca,  Eusebio,  470. 

Menage,  L.  F.,  ix. 

Menage  expedition,  ix. 

Mendicant  friars,  10. 

Mesa  elastica  of  Montinegro,  259. 
Mestizos,  32,  240,  288. 

Mexico,  5,  10. 

Michael,  200. 

Milagros,  352. 

Mindanao,  3,  16,  64,  68,  70,  74,  Chap- 
ters VI  and  VII,  153,  473,  474. 
Mindoro,  — island,  7,  16,  61,  64,  66,  68, 
74,  Chapters  XVI  and  XVII;  prov- 
ince, 359. 

Mineral  wealth,  74,  518. 

Moat  of  Manila,  40. 

Mohamoud,  202. 

Mollusks,  514. 

Monkeys,  334;  origin  of,  III. 

Monsoons,  22,  61. 

Monteses,  — of  Negros,  263,  265  ; of 
Panay,  244. 

Montinegro,  Sor.  Joaquin,  258. 

Moro,  — aversion  to  pork,  201 ; boatmen, 
157;  character,  175;  children,  156; 
divers,  158;  houses,  150;  language, 
159;  Mohammedanism,  159;  praus, 
157;  religious  festival,  163;  story  of 
the  flood,  201;  wedding,  194. 

Moros,  the,  96,  142,  Chapters  VII  and 
VIII,  207,  362,  473,  484. 

Mosa,  201. 

Moseley,  E.  L.,  viii,  24,  320,  367. 

Mount  Halcon,  70,  391,  406. 

Mount  of  Calvary,  200. 

Mount  Pulgar,  105. 

Mountains,  70. 

Museum  of(  Jesuits,  48. 

Music,  sacred,  291. 


N 

Nabotas  River,  391. 

Native,  — character,  472;  houses,  137; 

officials,  133;  sail-boats,  58,  274. 
Naujan,  367,  419. 

Naujan  Lake,  380,  419. 

Negritos,  99,  125,  258,  438,  473. 

Negros,  18,  68,  150,  Chapter  XI,  303. 
Nipa,  74,  107,  507,  242. 

No,  201. 

Noah,  201. 

Number  of  islands,  68. 

O 

Observatory  of  Jesuits,  63,  340. 

Old  Manila,  40. 

Oranges,  74. 

P 

Pablo,  Don,  77. 

Packda,  1 16,  1 18. 

Paga,  507. 

Paint  mines,  520. 

Palanog,  336. 

Palawan,  64,  68,  Chapters  IV  and  V. 
Palma  brava,  74,  507. 

Pampanga  province,  14,  17. 

Panaon,  69. 

Panay,  7,  68,  Chapter  X,  302. 

Pangasinan  province,  470. 

Panditas,  159. 

Panipig,  497. 

Panuelo,  33. 

Papaws,  74. 

Paragua,  see  Palawan. 

Paraiso,  83. 

Pasig  River,  21,  26,  37,  436. 

Peace  of  Paris,  15. 

Pearl-oysters,  514. 

Pedro  Cuevas,  144. 

Penal  colonies,  82. 

Perdigon,  346. 

Perojo,  S5r.,  46. 

Petates,  518. 

Petroleum,  312,  520. 

Philadelphia,  294. 

Philippine  Islands,  — history  of,  Chapter 
I;  general  description  of,  Chapter  III. 


INDEX 


527 


Philosopher,  a native,  262. 

Photography  among  Moros,  192,  197. 
Pickford,  — Mr.,  309,  310;  Mrs.,  309. 
Pilon,  507. 

Piloto  primero,  316. 

Pina,  33,  517. 

Pitcher-plants,  1 19. 

Pollilo,  69. 

Polygamy,  108,  413. 

Ponies,  Philippine,  372. 

Population,  — of  Capiz,  239 ; of  Cebu, 
300;  of  Dumaguete,  253;  of  Isabela  de 
Basilan,  144;  of  Luzon,  438;  of  Ma- 
nila, 32;  of  the  Philippines,  57. 
Potatoes,  507. 

Practice  of  medicine,  369. 

Protestant  faith,  349. 

Provincial  governments,  78. 

Puerto  Princesa,  79,  80,  82. 

Pulgar,  1 16. 

Punishment  for  crime,  — among  Man- 
gyans,  492;  among  Tagbanuas,  108. 
Pythons,  ill,  323,  417,  514. 

Q 

Quisao,  454. 

R 

Rada,  Fray  Martin  de,  302. 

Railroads,  75. 

Rain,  in  Mindoro,  387. 

Rainy  season,  62. 

Rattan,  74,  81,  507. 

Rebellion  of  Simon  de  Anda,  14. 
Reconcentration,  233. 

Religious  feast  of  Moros,  163. 

Religious  ideas,  — of  Moros,  198;  of 
Tagbanuas,  109,  481;  lack  of,  among 
Mangyans,  412. 

Religious  procession,  326. 

Remontados,  355. 

Reptiles,  514. 

Revolts  of  natives,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20. 
Rice,  73,  359,  507. 

Riccio,  Fray  Victorio,  12. 

Ricinus  communis,  504. 

Rio  Agno,  436. 


Rio  Grande  de  Cagayan,  435. 

Rio  Grande  de  la  Pampanaga,  436. 

Rio  Grande  de  Mindanao,  127. 

Rio  Janeiro,  2. 

River-beds  as  highways,  393,  394. 

Rivers  and  lakes,  71. 

Roads,  75. 

Robber  Islands,  3. 

Rodriguez,  Doroteo,  485,  499. 

Rodriguez,  Mariano,  489,  491,  499. 
Romblon,  — island  of,  69,  Chapter  XIX; 

province  of,  462;  town  of,  462. 
Rosario,  el,  36,  37. 


S 

Sago  palms,  310,  425,  427. 

Sail-boats,  native,  274,  276,  439. 

Salag  Dako,  224. 

Salcedo,  6,  7. 

Samar,  16,  68,  302,  Chapter  XIV. 

San  Antonio,  295. 

San  Cristobal,  70. 

San  Fernando,  465. 

Santa  Cruz  Island,  140. 

Santo  Nino  de  Cebu,  301. 

Sanz,  Sor.  Pedro,  462,  463,  460,  500. 
Sapos,  25. 

Saul,  Mr.  George  M.,  224,  251. 

Schools,  provincial,  337. 

Scorpions,  33 1,  398. 

Seasons,  61. 

Seining  fish,  308. 

Self-control  of  natives,  480. 

Semana  santa,  326. 

Seminary  for  teachers,  337. 

Sepoys,  13. 

Shaddocks,  74. 

Sharks  in  fresh  water,  382. 

Siargao,  69. 

Sibuyan,  69,  Chapter  XIX. 

Signalling  of  Mangyans,  405. 

Simo,  Don  Ignacio,  258. 

Simo,  Padre,  501. 

Siquijor,  69,  Chapter  XII ; friars,  287,  292. 
Slavery, — abolition  of,  10;  among  Moros, 
208. 

Smallpox,  68,  313. 


528 


INDEX 


Smith,  Mr.  Charles  L.,  501. 

Snake-birds,  380. 

Snakes,  514. 

Sociability  of  natives,  481. 

Soil,  72. 

Solano,  General,  death  of,  346. 

Soliman,  7. 

South  Caraballo,  435. 

Spanish,  — hospitality,  463 ; law,  novel 
features  of,  354;  table  manners,  30. 
Spearing  fish,  308. 

Steamship  lines,  58. 

Steere,  Dr.  J.  B.,  vii,  31,  43,  86,  130,  143, 

229,  3°3>  3°7>  32i,  324.  337.  367>  388. 

Steere  expedition,  viii,  318. 

Straits  of  Magellan,  3. 

Subaan  River,  419. 

Sugar,  73,  508;  land,  509;  plantation, 
258. 

Sulaiman,  201. 

Sulphur,  520. 

Sultan  Harun,  172,  185. 

Sultan  of  Borneo,  79. 

Sultan  of  Sulu,  159,  172. 

Sultana,  “the  old,”  174. 

Sulu,  65,  124,  150,  153,  Chapter  VIII, 

473- 

Sumoroy,  16. 

Sunday  in  the  Philippines,  284. 
“Superlative,”  the,  241. 

Superstitions,  — of  Monteses,  268;  of 
Moros,  198;  of  Tagbanuas,  109. 


T 

Taal  volcano,  70;  visit  to,  441  ; erup- 
tions of,  450. 

Tablas,  69,  Chapter  XIX. 

Tagalogs,  362,  438,  475. 

Tagbanua,  — alphabet,  107;  burial,  108, 
493;  dancing,  104;  doctors,  494; 
dress,  100;  folk-lore,  111,497;  houses, 
107,  1 17;  medicines,  494;  musical  in- 
struments, 104;  trials,  107. 

Tagbanuas,  — of  Calamianes,  Chapter 
XX;  of  Palawan,  Chapter  V. 

Tagbarus,  99. 

Taliakood,  1 10. 


Tamarinds,  74. 

Tanon  channel,  253. 

Tartana,  304. 

Tataan,  205. 

Tawi  Tawi,  65,  150,  153,  Chapter  IX. 
Tax-collecting,  234,  258. 

Taxes,  236. 

Tay  Tay,  80. 

Teachers,  337. 

Teaching  of  Spanish,  338. 

Telegraph,  518. 

Tenientes,  135,  238,  441. 

Terrero,  Governor-General,  43,  302. 
Theobroma  cacao,  504. 

Ticao,  69. 

Tide  rips,  440. 

Timarau,  364,  378,  380,  383,  398,  401, 
421,  425,  439.  512- 
Tinguianes,  439. 

Tobacco,  73,  258,  509. 

Toledo,  309. 

Tondo,  39. 

To'ohan,  198. 

Toolawee,  171,  179. 

Torre,  Francisco  de  la,  15. 

Trackers,  native,  398. 

Trading  by  governors  forbidden,  471. 
Transportation,  61,  518. 

Tree-ferns,  333. 

Trial,  — by  fire,  412;  by  rice-chewing, 
491 ; by  water,  1 07. 

Tribunal,  131. 

Tribute,  9,  235,  491. 

Trouble,  — with  coolies,  358;  with  gov- 
ernor of  Cebu,  302,  318;  with  governor 
of  Palawan,  87;  with  governor  of  Sa- 
mar, 318,  320;  with  Padre  of  Culion, 
488. 

Tuba,  225;  as  yeast,  310. 

Tu'big,  414. 

Tulisanes,  235,  269,  365,  380,  419,  429, 

433.  457.  485. 

Tungau,  332. 

Typhoons,  23,  62,  351,458. 


U 

Ulcers,  148. 


INDEX 


529 


v 

Valeriano,  Capitan,  367,  368,  380,  421, 
428. 

Vehicles,  Manila,  28. 

Velarde,  Padre  Pedro  Murillo,  map  of 
Philippines  by,  facing  page  342. 

Visava,  263,  276. 

Visayan  Islands,  302. 

Visayans,  228,  263,  475. 

Visit  to  Archbishop  of  Manila,  49. 

Visit  to  Taal  volcano,  441. 

Volcanoes,  69. 

Voyaging  in  cascos,  454,  457. 

\V 

Wages,  517. 

Walls  of  Manila,  40. 

Washington,  George,  new  light  on  life 
of,  292. 


Washington,  situation  of,  292. 
Water-buffaloes,  60,  337,  51 1. 

Wax,  74,  515. 

Weigher,  the,  200. 

Weyler,  General  Valeriano,  ix,  44,  55, 
126,  191,  471. 

Whippings,  256. 

Window-glass,  lack  of,  35. 

Wood  carving,  5 1 7. 

Woods,  510. 

Y 

Yacans,  144. 

Yakub,  201. 

Yams,  73,  407. 

Z 

Zamboanga,  14,  128. 

Zamboanguenos,  128. 

Zamora,  Bishop,  death  of,  346. 


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